


Ghidorah: Ascension

by Mechasaur



Series: Tales of the Daikaiju [1]
Category: Godzilla - All Media Types
Genre: Aliens, Aliens Made Them Do It, And I mean a lot of kaiju fighting, Attempt at Humor, Brotherly Bonding, Constructive Criticism Welcome, Expect a lot of kaiju battling, Found Family, More than just Godzilla kaiju, Other Fandoms Not Mentioned in Tags, References to Other Series, Science Fiction, if you can call it that, writing is my passion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:41:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 24,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27955571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mechasaur/pseuds/Mechasaur
Summary: The Golden Demise.The One who is Many.The Master of Thunder.The King of Terror.King Ghidorah is the epitome of what a kaiju should be, an avatar of lightning and destruction incarnate. This is all common knowledge to any sentient being, but one question burns on the mind of many- a question whose answer is only known by few.Where did they come from?
Series: Tales of the Daikaiju [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2047337
Comments: 9
Kudos: 15





	1. No Peace in the Silence

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: I do not own any of the characters in this work, all characters - kaiju or not- belong to Toho.  
> 12/13/2020: I misspelled Ascension as Ascencion.

Solar winds tore through the emptiness like the currents of an ocean, as their distant stars continue to blaze bright in the eternal night of deep space. An environment so beautiful, a heaven above the heavens, yet too inhospitable. Space was the final frontier, and the home of creatures beyond the comprehension of the unlucky sentients who had never seen the stars.

And there could be no better example of such creatures than the Dorat.

Floating in the void, basking in the radiance of a nearby star, was a dragon straight from myth and legend.

She was one of the countless creatures that lived in the desolate void between solar systems- and by far one of the most extravagant. Golden scales twinkled across the beast's hide as the dragon yawned- showing off rows upon rows of sharp pointed teeth. Glimmering wings spread out to their full width, the dragon continued to bask in the light- feeding off the solar radiation. Miniscule compared to the dragoness, a tiny speck fluttered haplessly nearby. Unlike its mother, who had a majestic crown of horns, the hatchling had a tiny patch of green fur- soft and fluffy. It's wings were not fully formed, and the creature couldn't quite hover the way it's mother did. Instead, the tiny thing flapped around aimlessly, screeching and chirping in glee as it did so. The dragoness cracked a smile as she watched her hatchling flounder.

A sudden flash of light just out of the corner of her eye caused the dragoness to become alert. Her scales shifted like chainmail as the dragon pivoted her head to the source, a distant speck on the horizon.

A speck that was moving closer and closer.

A strange silver dragon, unlike any she had ever seen. It's eyes, cold and dead, glowed with a malevolent yellow light. The beast had no wings, and yet it still managed to hover perfectly still in the gravity-less void. In a flash of motion, it swung one thick metallic arm like a sword- and despite the dragoness's swift strafe away, the tips of its serrated claws drew the beast's golden blood. The raging parent hissed in fury, then retaliated with a bolt of pure lightning- the beam tearing through the emptiness and burning the silver dragon's hide. The bolt sizzled as it hit the beast, until it was cloaked in a wreath of smoke and ash.

But if it had not been hit at all, the silver dragon stood where it had been- an immovable object unfazed by the dragoness' beams, as steam continued to roll off the burnt patches. This caught the dragoness off guard, and in that moment her foe struck.

In the void of space, the ocean of fiery explosions that lit up the golden scales of the dragoness were silent. The silver dragon continued its assault, missiles and projectiles splashing onto the golden hide of its foe.

Another bolt of electricity shot out from the mighty beast's maw, striking her opponent in the chest once more. This time, metal gave way as the bolt continued to devour through the silver dragon's armor- wires and sheets of armor floating into space as it was pushed back. The dragoness would not let up this time, her pain fueling the deadly lightning as it continued to burn her foe. Eventually, the dragoness stopped- not wanting to expend all of her energy. The silver dragon did not move, inert as the dragoness turned back to her hatchling- which had drifted quite far from her in its struggles. She let out a sigh of relief, thankful that her son had not been harmed in the battle. As she went to retrieve her child, the dragoness made a small mistake.

She turned her back on her enemy.

The vacuum was a medium that no sound could travel in. Even the loudest of noises, deafening in the presence of matter, were inaudible in the depths of the space.

The boosting of titanic thrusters, the roar of an engine as its owner roared towards its foe- whose back was turned. The drawing of a blade, as large as an automobile, and the grinding of enormous gears as its wielder moved its arm..

In one smooth motion, the head of the once mighty dragoness was off- her golden lifeblood spluttering like a dying candle from her stump of a neck. The still smoking but intact silver dragon shoved the carcass to the side, uninterested, the burns on the dragoness' hide still sizzling as it drifted further off into the distance.

In space, no being could hear the agonizing scream of pain that the hatchling made.

And no one could see that the tear rolling of the mother's eye as her head rolled off into the distance, her child screaming for help that would never come.

* * *

Inside the metallic shell of the silver dragon, nestled on a harness, sat a strange being. He was wearing a jumpsuit, almost as dark as the space outside. A helmet covered nearly all of his face, only a square hole for pale white lips that looked more synthetic than biological. Behind the tinted black visor were blank dead eyes, completely clear of emotion even as they observed the hatchling- which was now struggling desperately in vain to escape its pursuer.

"This is X-2173 to Control, the last target has been secured." the alien said into a microphone, hidden somewhere within the complex machinery of his helmet.

"Affirmative, status report on Unit 3."

"Unit 3 is damaged, but functional. Heading back to base now."

"Affirmative."

X-2173 turned his attention back to the squirming and tearful hatchling, which was now even more frantically trying to maneuver away from the alien's machine with no success. Such a pitiful sight would usually cause anyone with a heart to squirm in their seats at least a little bit.

But alas, as with the rest of his kind, X-2173 lost his heart a long time ago.

* * *

Outside, the hatchling could only continue to flail as the silver dragon moved closer. He was lost, confused and scared- but what could he do? His maw smoked as he tried to fight back, a valiant but futile effort. All the hatchling could see was his parent's corpse, blood spluttering into the abyss from the stump that was her neck. It was a sight that would haunt him forever. Not that his captor cared or anything. With one hand, the silver dragon nonchalantly grabbed the hatchling- as if this were an ordinary occurrence.

Thrusters growling like ferocious beasts, the silver dragon let out a soundless roar of triumph as it flew off- leaving the carcass to float in the void.


	2. Amalgamation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I do not own any of the characters in this work, all characters - kaiju or not- belong to Toho.

“Status report X-1608?”

“The Dorat specimens are in place and the generator is online.” the woman, the one designated X-1608, said apathetically, “The experiment is ready, Controller.”

The Controller cracked a sinister smile, something that the others in the room did not acknowledge or reciprocate. For a species that prided themselves on efficiency, emotions were seen as nothing more than dead weight- meaningless distractions that clouded judgement and impeded the pursuit of knowledge. 

“Well? What are you waiting for? ”

His grin grew wider as he watched the three yellow creatures fumble in the testing chamber, their chirps and cries of panic inaudible due to the thickness of the protective walls. He had been waiting for this moment for countless cycles, months of research and work building up to this. Dorats were not easy to come by, but their unique properties made them prime candidates for this particular trial. Once the Controller figured out how to get the conditions just right, he would finally have his magnum opus.

“Start the experiment.”

———————————————————————————————————

As soon as the hatchling awoke, it was bombarded by light. Blinding rays assailed him from every angle, and the tiny creature used its wings to shield itself from the harsh brightness. Soon, after its eyes had adjusted, the hatchling surveyed the room once again. Nearby, it could see two other creatures- near identical copies of itself, one bumping at a window rather aggressively and the other nestled away in a corner cowering.

“Where are we?” The hatchling chirped in its native tongue. The scared one peeked out from beneath its wings but didn't move, while the aggressive one merely huffed and continued its assault on the window with even more zeal.

The hatchling was about to ask again, until a distant hum caught it’s attention

A hum that grew closer with every second, a harbinger of the dreadful fate that would befall them.

Then it became deafening, and all three of them had to cover their ears with their wings. Briefly, the hatchling opened its eyes- and what it saw it would remember for the rest of its days.

The clean white light had disappeared, replaced by a wall of orange that blazed like a star in a bottle. Pain flared across its entire body, but it's cries were silenced by the howling inferno that surged around it. Nearby, it could catch the shadows of the other two hatchlings- and something in the back of its mind- some ancient long forgotten instinct- compelled it to move towards them. Side by side, the creatures huddled closer together in what felt like their final moments- as a wave of heat fit for a supernova washed over all three of them.

The hatchlings cried out as they felt the skin melt off their bones, the pain unimaginable to the Xilliens outside. 

One cried in defiance- declaring that his last moments alive would not be spent kneeling.

Another, for mercy- for the captors to find it within their black hearts to cease the pain.

And the last cried out for revenge- a bloody garbled screech that mixed with the roaring flames and the low groaning of the metal walls.

But they did not die, for the universe had a funny way of rewarding those who suffered at the hands of nuclear fire.

As quickly as it came, the blaze disappeared. Cooling winds blew into the chamber from vents, soothing the wounds on the skin of the hatchlings. It had finally ended, and the three of them closed their eyes and waited for the inevitable.

———————————————————————————————————

Unbeknownst to them, the Controller was fuming just outside the chamber- his string of swears and cusses not phasing a single one of his subordinates.  
“The Dorats show no changes to maturity,” one Xillien reported, reading off a complex array of screens and symbols.

“And their genetic makeup is inconsistent with the other trials.”

“Another failure sir.”

That’s the third one this month, the Controller thought to himself.

“Why didn’t it work?!” He said vehemently, as if he had been denied a new toy, “You said that this amount of radiation would accelerate their metabolisms, not kill them on the spot!”

“Controller, there isn't enough radiation for all three of the beings to fully mature.” another Xillien, the chief engineer, pointed out. Usually, the Xillen Leader would have had this rebel ejected from insubordination- but today, he decided to be a little more forgiving.

“Then increase the dosage and hit them again!”

“Our reactors are cooling off, we won’t be able to perform another trial until approximately three cycles from now.”

It was as if the engineer really really wanted to see the vacuum. 

But the Controller’s eyes were drawn into the darkened chamber, where what he assumed was the corpse of the three Dorats.

“Increase illumination,” he commanded- causing some of his subordinates to begin tweaking at the buttons at their stations.

The beast looked even uglier in the light.

Its wings were serrated like a saw, fresh blood dripping from the limbs. The amalgamation had two lumpy stumps of tails, and the entire lumpy uneven body of the creature was still covered in scathing black marks. Its uneven scales shifted, over and under their neighbours. But the worst part was its neck- or necks to be more precise. Three heads, connected to one body by strands of barely intact muscle and bone. This was no longer a Dorat, but something else.

What a disgusting creature.

“Your evaluation sir?” 

“Keep this one in an isolation chamber, until I know what to do with it.”

The Controller stuck his nose up in disgust as glared at the failure his scientists had created, trench coat dragging along the floor behind him. After making sure that the disposal crew was made fully aware of their latest creation, the Controller left the room in a fuss- there were more important things to do then stare at the aberrant. Soon, the other Xilliens had followed their leader’s example- leaving the three hatchlings to their own devices.  
As the last of the laboratory’s lights went off, a singular scarlet eye opened in the dark.


	3. In the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, all characters belong to Toho Studios and their respective owners. Also, I'll be uploading at a more consistent pace after this- seeing as I have most of the chapters in their final editing phases. Again, thanks for reading- and enjoy. Also, I said there would be a lot of kaiju combat- and with all the pieces set up, there will be.

“H-Hello?” 

“Mother? Anyone?”

On most days, the little dragon would have enjoyed the silence- but now it only served as a reminder of what he had lost. 

A bitter taste began to fill in his mouth, and the hatchling spat out a globule of golden blood. More began to flow out as the hatchling coughed out another-it felt like there were knives being jabbed into his throat.

He didn't know how long it had been when the coughing stopped- and he could divert his attention to other things.

No matter how much he willed it, his limbs would not move- as if they were bound with stones. At that point, the hatchling glanced behind him- saw just what they had done to him. 

No, not him.

Them.

His chest began to tremble, heart filled with a flurry of emotions. The hatchling, now the middle head, would have broken down in tears and wailed in despair until he had run out of tears to cry.

Until he realised that he wasn’t quite alone.

A silent sniffle sounded in the darkness, followed by the sound of heavy breathing. Soon, they turned into sobs, each one tore at the little dragon’s heart. A hatchling on his left had hidden himself under their wing, his own tears streaming from beneath like a little river. His instincts told him to ignore the other head, after all Dorats like them were never meant to stick together, but another part of him the exact opposite. 

“A-Are you okay?” The middle head asked with all the calmness he could muster, in an attempt to comfort his fellow hatchling. 

“Huh?” 

The left head paused, taking his time to control his breathing, “I-I want my mommy. Do you know where my mommy is?”

“She’s gone.” 

The middle head immediately regretted his words when he saw the left head tear up.

“What the heck?!” The right head, who had been silent the whole time, hissed- his voice high pitched and shrill. The middle head knew that infighting would do them no good here, after all they were stuck together. But damn, did he already dislike the right head.

“You can’t just say that!”

“I-I-” 

After realising the gravity of the situation, the middle head figured it was better to stay quiet. The two heads glared at each other, the right looking like he was about to lunge at his new companion, but the left head’s crying seemed to bring them both back to reality. He watched as the right head took a deep breath before glaring into the darkness.

“Forget about it,” the left head said as his sobs began to slow.

“I-I’m okay..”

“Hey, are we not going to talk about-”

The middle shook his chin towards ‘their’ body, the other two necks craning to look. 

“That.”

The left head gagged at the smell of their own burning flesh, repeating the middle’s actions by puking on the floor- the remnants of his meal now all over the stone floor. The middle head silently thanked the stars that there was a drain in this place.

“Whoever did this will pay.” 

Despite the youthful shrillness of his voice, the right head’s words carried a raw violent anger - an anger that caused a shiver to run up the spines of the other two heads. As the right head continued to brood in anger, the other two could only watch- with a mixture of awe and wariness.

“Why don’t we get to know each other?” The left head piped up- his mood slightly improved from before. “I’m San.”

“My name is Ichi.” 

“...”

The two other heads quickly turned to the right head, who raised one eyebrow in suspicion as if he could not see what was wrong.

“...”

After a minute of silence, he relented at last- but not without a huff of indignation.

“Ni.” 

After giving up his name, the right head quickly settled down next to a red glowing light- the only warmth in their new home- and closed his eyes to rest. Ichi could see their various wounds even clearer in the dim red light of the heater, the occasional cracking of bone as their body tried to heal.

“You need help?” The middle asked the left, who was tearing off some of the stray tissue at the base of his neck. San nodded, and the two soon got to work.

This was going to be a long night, Ichi thought-

A very very long night.  
———————————————————————————————————  
Moving was difficult at first. As three separate creatures merged into one, they weren’t used to having to coordinate with two others just to move one limb. They constantly squabbled and bickered over whose fault it was, and after they accidentally squashed Ni with their combined weight during another attempt at standing up- he taught both of his fellow heads a word that any good parent would have slapped their child for saying. 

But circumstances continued to push at them, and eventually they were able to stand, walk, and then run- after a lot of trial and error. Each step was painful however, and after every day the three of them would sit for hours on end- complaining about their wounds and making small talk. 

The first flight was the exact opposite. 

“Isn’t this great Brothers?!” San whooped as they soared in the prison, his cheers and the wind running across their faces bringing some form of hope in this otherwise abysmal place.

“Hell yeah it is!” 

Ni let out a shrill roar as Ichi smiled to himself, happy to see him lighten up for once. 

Their golden wings carried them across the chamber- and even Ichi found himself with a stupidly wide grin as they soared. The red light that had lined the floor of their prison became a tiny speck as they flew higher and higher, and it soon disappeared into the darkness.

For the first time, the three heads were united- too busy enjoying the illusion to bicker. To them, it was as if they were soaring where they belonged- the depths of space among all the vast stars and planets.

But in the end, it was just that.

An illusion.

But they would not give up.

With Ichi’s guidance, the three looked under every nook and cranny. They clawed at the walls, sometimes for days on end, until their claws finally broke off with a bloody crack and they had to stop. Their captors didn't seem to care about their efforts, and simply left the Dorats to rot in the darkness. On one particularly dark moment, Ni was so frustrated as to attempt to bite through the walls- leading to only pain and broken teeth. 

But when Ichi berated him for his idiocy, Ni finally retaliated- the venom in his hiss making Ichi flinch. His shock transformed into rage as Ichi shouted back, Ni’s defiance made the middle head extremely tempted to rip him from the neck down. It was San who saved them from tearing each other apart.   
But his help came too late, and a small bit of resentment began to grow inside of the middle head’s heart. 

———————————————————————————————————

Days become months that became years. Eventually, after the first year, or the fifth, Ichi stopped keeping track. It was safe to say that the hatchlings had long forgotten the memory of the sea of stars their kind once roamed in. All they knew was darkness, a deep and lonely darkness that ebbed away at their sanity like an endless tide.

The green hair they once had was all gone, replaced by a golden crown of horns. Their stubby limbs grew longer, more muscular and more befitting of the title of ‘dragon’. Their twin tails, once short and useless, became golden clubs - tipped with deadly spikes. Their body was changing- a dormant strength slowly emerging from within their bones. 

They were going to outgrow their little prison, that much was clear

And that would lead to a whole host of problems.

“Ni?”

“Can you move a bit?” 

The right head let out a snarl in response, and proceeded to obscure even more of the heater with his coils. The three necks were packed together, no longer having as much space as they used to. Now, Ichi and Ni were forced to stay closer together.

A sure recipe for disaster. 

“Look at the space I’ve got,” Ni grumbled from somewhere below Ichi and San, “and ask me that again.”

“Don’t take that tone.” Ichi hissed, the right head’s insubordination lighting a spark in the powder keg that was their relationship. The middle head clearly wasn’t in a good mood, and to be fair, none of them ever were for as long as they had remembered. 

“Now move, I would like to use the heater.”

“Why don’t you move me your-”

Ni didn't even get to finish when Ichi grabbed onto one of his horns, and pulled the right head out of the tight space- inciting a growl from Ni as he snapped at the middle head. Ichi glared at him for a hot minute, his scarlet eyes glowing in the darkness.

“Brothers.” San intervened, his voice having an unusual hint of desperation. Whether it was because of their captivity or the infighting was up for debate.   
“Please don’t fight.”

Ichi’s gaze never left Ni as he took his place at the heater, and the right head snapped in the air- picturing a presumably grizzly scenario involving the middle head.   
The left head let out a sigh of relief, thankful that another day had been saved from conflict. His mind went to last night, when he clawed at the walls and pleaded for aid from their captors while the other two heads were asleep, his claws adding their own mark to the walls. 

But the past didn't matter to San.

What was important now was his brother.

The left head crossed over Ichi’s neck and towards the right head, who was still growling under his breath. San warily tried to start a conversation, and thankfully Ni didn't bite his neck off. The two began to talk for awhile, and the left head didn't know when they fell asleep- but only that he would have to do it all again tomorrow.


	4. Winds of Change

“Is this the one?” 

The ape took another whiff from his cigar, puffing out another cloud of smoke- much to the ire of his host. The Controller had taken several days out of his busy schedule just to learn the language of the apes, and he did not invite the ape to their colony for him to belittle his ‘creation’. No matter how horrific the abomination was.

“What can it do?”

“Commander-” 

“Just Gorn will do, no need for those fancy titles among us ‘leaders’.” The ape smirked at the last word, knowing full well what the other denizens of the universe thought of the Xillien Controller. And although he was internally fuming, the Controller managed to keep a mostly calm face.

“Dorats are rare and powerful creatures, and the most dangerous in the universe in fact. It took us months just to find and catch the hatchings, even longer to bring them into their current form.”

“We ask for only eight Mechagodzilla units for this one of a kind specimen.”

The ape chuckled, much to the Controller’s ire. He was never the best liar, but the Controller figured that the low price would be able to please the Simeon Commander. The Xillien would normally have asked for more, but he knew that getting even five older models was a fair trade for this eye-sore of an aberrant. Other than surviving everything they had available to terminate it, the dragon served no purpose on their base. Hell, the Controller wasn’t even sure if it could survive in the wild with it’s polycephaly- much less whatever games Gorn had planned to use this creature for. 

“Simeon-made Mechagodzillas don’t come cheap, you know.”

“For that?” the ape flicked his cigar onto the floor, drawing the attention of one of the cleaning robots on the floor. 

“Best I can do is four, maybe even five if I’m in a good mood. ”

A pause. As the robot whirred towards the discarded cigar, as the Controller ruminated on this dilemma. Five was barely enough for their plans, but seeing how few functional ones they had, the Controller had to take what he could get.

“Very well then,” he finally ceded from between gritted teeth.

“Pleasure doing business with you, Controller.” Gorn extended a hairy hand, which the Controller reluctantly shook. He would make sure to sanitise his own hand thoroughly later. 

“Oh, and by the way X-” 

“Good luck on your little ‘invasion’.”

The Simeon Commander soon left the room with a hearty laugh- presumably to go back to his slum of a homeworld. 

“Those damned apes, know that I will not forget this ridicule.” The Controller muttered out of earshot.. After a long minute of grumbling profanities and imagining his fists in the ape’s face, the Controller glanced one more time at the slumbering dragon- unaware of its new fate.

“Good riddance beast.”  
———————————————————————————————————  
“Ichi, Ni-” 

“Shut it San, some heads are trying to sleep here.”

“It’s urgent Brother. Something’s different.”

“Wake up.” Ichi heard what he assumed was San slithering across the floor, and his subsequent tugging at the right head’s horns. He reluctantly opened one scarlet eye, partially ready to break up a fight between the two others .

Only to realise that San was right.

The walls weren’t black anymore, but had changed to a rather dirty shade of gray. The messy stain from where Ni rammed himself into the wall was also gone, as were their numerous scratch marks. Odd brown patches caked the tiles on the walls, and the smell of decay contrasted with the clean white glow of the room - which was provided by numerous lines of lights protected by a layer of glass. 

“Where do you think we are, Brothers?”

As the left head said these words, a feeling of unease suddenly filled the room. The spines on their necks stoon on end, the air turning colder. All three heads perked up, their eyes alert. 

“Don’t you feel that?” 

“Of course we feel it San, we’re attached to the same body.” 

Ichi felt a wave of ire, and the middle head wasn't sure if that was because of Ni’s tone or just Ni himself.

“Curb your tongue.”

“Or I’ll tear it right from your mouth.”

Ni only huffed, clearly he didn’t heed the middle head’s words in the slightest. Had it not been for their new circumstances, Ichi would have berated him further. Or he would have strangled the right head with his bare hands. If he had any. 

A tingling sensation overcame their entire body. Their room melted like a desert mirage, and was soon replaced by something else. 

———————————————————————————————————

All three heads had their mouths agape, silent in awe. Their eyes went wide in the bright lights of the arena, their feet touching rough dirt instead of the cold clean metal for the first time in their relatively short lives.

They were in an impossibly large coliseum, gargantuan even for a kaiju of their caliber. A blue barrier of light, what Ichi assumed was a force field, shielded them and the occupants of the dome from being sucked into the void. Metal pillars, like prison bars, formed an additional layer of protection just outside the field, and Ichi saw alien eyes peering in between the large gaps. The depths of the space loomed over them, a harsh reminder by the unforgiving universe of where the dragon could never go. Numerous drones zoomed around them, like insects surrounding a rotting corpse. Sounds of a crowd raged around them like a whirlpool, chanting and jeering in a myriad of languages. Just by scanning the countless rows of seats, Ichi saw thousands of unfamiliar faces- but he could see one thing they had in common. 

Each one of them had the same hunger for death. 

A sudden influx of the smell of dried blood caused San to gag loudly, but Ichi thankfully noted that he had just enough gall to not puke. 

This noise caught the attention of another creature, hunched over in the dirt over- something about their size. Ichi cursed in his head for not seeing it earlier, but another gag from San caused the beast to stiffen. They froze, a sudden hint of fear nagging at the backs of their minds.

At that point, it was too late- the creature grinning malevolently as it turned, yellow eyes remorseless. Enveloped in a coat of purple crystal, shimmering in the light from above like a diamond- the beast before them was nothing they had ever seen. 

Not that they had seen much that is. 

Like a twisted version of a turtle, it unwound- slowly and methodically. Razor sharp claws flexed dangerously as it sniffed the air, revealing rows upon rows of deadly crystalline teeth. It let out a guttural roar to the cheering crowd, and only then did the dragon see the mutilated corpse of what they assumed was another kaiju laying at its clawed feet- blue blood splattered all over the floor.

“Brothers, What is that thing?”

“An enemy.” Ni bared his fangs with a low snarl, and Ichi followed suit. But the smaller creature only grinned even more - its spiked tail snaking behind it dangerously. It didn't attack at first, something Ichi found strange, until a booming voice reverberated through the entire arena.

“And for the final match of tonight-”

“Our latest Monster Zero, straight from the labs of Planet X-”

“Ghi-do-rah!” The crowd went wild at this word, their roaring growing even more frenzied in anticipation of the bloodshed to come. 

“Versus the Crystal King himself - give it up one more time for Krystalak!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I've got good news and bad news. Good news is that I have several ideas on where to take the story from here, and that after Chapter 4- there will be a lot more characters and a lot more kaiju fighting. Bad news is that due to certain circumstances, I won't be able to upload as frequently as I do now. I'll try uploading as soon as I'm done with each chapter, after all- I'm not quitting until this story if finished.


	5. Initiation

Krytalak roared at the sound of his name, and immediately barreled towards the golden dragon like a steam engine. They may have been big, but Krystalak had taken on bigger. He dodged their inaccurate blows and swipes of their talons. With a howl he leapt onto the dragon’s belly, as crystalline claws pierced into their golden hide. All three heads screamed in unison as their foe’s teeth dug into their flesh, their golden blood splattering onto the arena for the first time.

The dragon latched onto the crystal beasts' crystal-coated hide with three sets of jaws, some of the smaller purple shards jamming themselves into their maws. With one smooth motion they tossed Krystalak aside like a ragdoll- a testament to their brute strength. 

The crystal fiend roared as he skidded across the floor, claws digging into the dirt for traction, and rolled into a spiked ball. Redirecting the momentum, Krystalak barrelled towards them with a vengeance. The beast grinned as his spikes tore into their flesh like a saw- the brutal attack already wearing down his foe’s hide into dust. The dragon retaliated with a swipe of their wings, sending the ball of death careening to the side.

The dragon’s heads let out a roar, asking him to stay down. The crystal beast got back up - a maniacal grin once again flashing across Krystalak’s jaws. He lunged at them with zeal, and watched as his foe attempted to meet them in the air. The crystal beast dodged the messy lunge with ease, and found himself grabbing onto their back. Realising that they were unable to reach him there, Krytalak returned to his original plan- and began to rip and tear into their vulnerable flesh. 

Roaring in pain, the dragon’s gargantuan wings suddenly stretched out to their impressive full span. The spotlights honed on the dueling kaiju as they fought in the sky, purple and gold spinning like a cloud of diamonds. All three heads let out high-pitched trills as they continued to maneuver in the limited room of the arena, the cheers and shouts of the spectators fading into the background as they tried to shake their foe off. But despite their efforts, Krystalak would not yield- his claws only tightening their grip as they continued to soar around the arena. Crystals were sprinkled across the arena as the dragon rammed their pursuer into the forcefield- but to his credit, Krystalak refused to budge. 

The dragon went into a panic as desperation took over, their foe much stronger than they had ever anticipated.  
Their wings retracted back into their sides, like a bird of prey, and with that the two kaiju fell down to earth. Krystalak’s claws continued to dig into their back, their blood forming a golden line as they fell to the ground. But just before they hit the ground, the dragon pivoted in mid air- and Krystalak was slammed into the ground with the weight of three fully grown Dorats pressing onto him. 

It was not enough.

With a heave, the dragon was thrown off- their impact reverberating across the arena. Krystalak, several parts of his crystal chainmail shattered and razor sharp claws coated in gold, rose up otherwise unscathed. His sinister grin grew wider as he saw his opponent, who had not gotten off as easy.   
The Crystal King’s armor began to crackle as the crystal beast bit down onto the dragon’s middle neck- causing the other two heads to hiss as they saw Ichi coughing up blood. Krystalak stood up on their back, a piece of golden flesh in his jaws, and screeched into the crowd at his latest conquest- their praises fueling the beast's ego to no end. 

Caught up in the excitement of battle, he neglected to notice one of the heads inching towards the wall.

Ni’s entire mouth was lined with crystals from their foes armor, from one of his many attempts at biting through Krysatlak’s armor. He knew his time was coming, but something inside Ni told him to keep fighting. He glanced over at the other two heads, for what he knew was the last time. Ichi tried in vain to wring out of their foe’s grip, while San lay weakly on the ground- the dust mixing with their blood.

The sight of their suffering angered the right head, giving him the will to make one last attempt at victory.

In a burst of motion, Ni latched onto one of the cables lining the arena- his teeth piercing the insulation with ease. A feeling of rejuvenation shot through their entire body, causing Ni to clamp down even harder on the wire.

After being starved of it for so long by their captors, the dragon was eager to finally be able to feel the powerful hum of electricity flowing in their veins. 

Every cell in their body rejuvenated, Ni let out a bolt of lightning from his maw- catching their crystal foe off guard. Ichi and San looked in awe as the power of thunder crackled at his jaws, and soon their own jaws. Krystalak roared in agony, the force of the beam shoving him off onto the ground. With their second wind, the dragon gripped the cables, their thirst for power sated at long last. Electricity flowed into their veins like a river, their entire body glowing with yellows and reds as they continued to feed. The entire arena shook as they drew more and more, the spotlights above flickering as the various alien species in the room began to panic. The ring shook and trembled, as if it were in pain from the dragon's feeding. By the time Krystalak had gotten up, shaking his head to dislodge the ringing sound in his head, the dragon was crackling with static energy- their throats and massive wings glowing radiantly. They fearlessly turned to face their foe once more, their triumphant trill echoing across the arena. 

They would fall no longer.

Their foe roared in response, leaping into the air claws outstretched. This time, Krystalak thought, he would have all three of their heads.

Dark clouds rumbled as Ni fired lightning from his maws once more, the bolts searing their foes’s underside. Although Krystalak didn't mind the electricity itself, the sheer force of the bolts knocked his light frame onto the ground. Before he could react, Ghidorah was already right above the purple kaiju- and brought their full weight onto their opponent. Krystalak let out a screech of pain as Ghidorah slammed the kaiju onto the ground again and again, before flinging him into one of the walls. Their feet caked in purple blood, Ghiodrah’s heads sparked with thunder- and Krystalak didn't even have a chance to react before another volley of bolts landed on its vulnerable underside. With a resounding boom, the Crystal King fell to the ground- armor smoking and cracked. 

He had lost.

To a newcomer.

The noise soon returned, in the form hushed whispers instead of the myriad of screams from before. These aliens had seen Krystalak’s viciousness first hand so many times, so how could a newcomer of all things be the final nail in his coffin? 

“We won?” 

San heaved as they tried to remain standing, the back of his neck dripping blood from the fall. Ichi said something inaudible, his fatigue and wounds tiring the head greatly. Among the three, it was he who had sustained the most wounds- seeing as the middle’s neck and back were nearly completely eviscerated by Krsytalak’s attacks. Ni spat out one of the many crystal shards lodged into his teeth, along with some blood- causing Ichi to look at him with-something almost like concern.

Almost.  
“And the winner is-” The announcer paused, as if he was still trying to process what had just taken place before him. 

“Ghidorah!”

Their tattered wings and scarred legs shaking, all three heads craned to see the unrecognisable faces- their reflections in the metal bloody and battered. The gargantuan arena was silent, as if speaking would break the illusion they were witnessing, only the occasional mutters from a few souls breaking the veil.   
A familiar sensation ran across their scales as the dragon slumped over, their legs finally giving away.

——————————————————————————————————— 

“Thank the stars we’re back here.” 

San slumped over, out cold.

As the Ichi fixated his scarlet eyes on the ceiling lights once again, Ni thought back to the fight. He longed for that rush of adrenaline, and to watch as their foes screamed in agony. The right head had long been looking for any source of excitement in his monotone existence so far, and now he had finally found it.   
Out of the earshot of the other two heads, Ni cracked a sinister chuckle as he slumped over to rest- dreams filled with screams of pain and thunderclouds.


	6. Calm before the Storm

“Are you okay?”

Ichi asked out of the blue, waking the other two heads from their relatively short slumbers. The middle head always had trouble sleeping, and tonight was no exception. 

“Didn’t know you cared a-hole.”

“Answer me Ni, before I start to regret this.” Judging from his face, Ni could tell that Ichi already did- but he decided to humor the middle head’s attempts at kindness.

“I’m fine.”

“That is relieving to hear.”

An awkward pause, clearly neither party was used to this kind of casual conversation. The two stared at opposite corners of the room, the silence seeping through the walls like serpents. San had woken up- stirred by the restlessness of the others. 

“Wh-what’s going on Brothers?”

“Nothing, go back to sleep.” 

The middle head immediately dropped down to the ground like a brick, making a pointed thud and exhaling out of his nostrils. Whether the middle head really thought that would fool San, Ni didn't know. 

“So,” San asked after a long silence, “some fight that was.”

Ni let out a huff of ire, his attempts at returning to sleep foiled by the left head, while Ichi had his resting face of bored disinterest even in his sleep- one he had probably worn since the day he was born. 

“What do you think he was?”

“Who? Krystalak?” Ni decided to humor the left head, just for a while. The left head would probably get tired and hit the sack soon enough.

“Probably some alien, what else is there to it?”

“You think there are others?”

“How would they be like?”

Ni didn't respond, trying to snuff out the conversation before it even began.

San paused, and for a brief second Ni could see a glimmer of wonder in the left head’s eyes as he mulled over his words. And even Ni couldn’t help but feel a little excitement due to the emotion in San’s words

““We’ve been imprisoned for so long, aren’t you excited to finally see the universe?” 

“The stars, the moons and all the planets-”

“So many creatures, some great and some small-”

“Who knows what’s out there?”

“I don’t, and I’d like to keep it that way.” 

“Don’t be such a killjoy,” the left head groaned, “Aren’t you at least a little excited?”

“Absolutely not.” 

“Will you two quiet down?”

The familiar steely edge in Ichi’s voice was more of a killjoy than Ni could ever be, the middle head flashed one scarlet glare at the general direction of the right head. For a brief second, Ni actually felt a pang of guilt when he saw the San flinching at Ichi’s intrusion- something the middle head did not notice as he went back to his importu slumber.

“What do you think our name is?”

San crashed Ni’s train of thought, his voice a little quieter as the two continued to chat within earshot of their ‘sleeping’ companion. 

“Hm?” 

“Monster Zero doesn’t sound that good does it?” 

“How about-” 

“The Golden God?”

“Sounds tacky,” Ni scoffed.

“How about Three Headed Dragon?”

“That one doesn’t sound any better.”

“I’d like to see you try to come up with something better.” 

“I-” Ni blanked. At that moment, the right head realised that despite being good at quite a number of things- naming was not one of them. Nearby, Ichi let out a slight chuckle- the middle head unable to hold back his amusement at the right head’s plight. 

“...”

“Well?” San teased, and this only caused Ni to wrack his mind even harder for any semblance of a decent name. Ichi, the smug little crap he was, had a grin wider than a full moon- not even trying to hide the fact he was awake anymore. Ni really really wanted to smack that smile off his face.

“How about Ghidorah?” Ichi intervened at last, having savored enough of Ni’s suffering.

“It’s the name those aliens gave us, and one that I find fit for a king.”

“Besides, I want them to know the beast that slays their planet once and for all.”

“Don’t you two agree?”

San nodded, and Ni briefly considered any other option- before following suit.

“Ghidorah it is then.” The left head beamed, proud of their new name. As he went back to sleep, San’s brief ‘good night’ falling on deaf ears, the other two heads stared at one another awkwardly.

“Night Ichi.”

“Thanks.”

Ni opened one eye in a parody of Ichi’s glare from earlier, letting out a smirk when he saw the middle head internally contemplating his choice of word.

“Thanks? Didn’t you mean-”

“Oh shut up.” 

The middle head jokingly scolded, before looking off into the corners of their new room. Ni let out one last chuckle to himself, before falling asleep.


	7. First Contact

It had taken at least an hour for all three of Ghidorah’s heads to fall asleep.

And it had taken half for the familiar tingle of teleportation to wash over their scales.

“It’s time.”

“Get ready for battle, both of you.” Ichi said without any sign of tiredness, his no nonsense tone enough to wake the other two heads. They rose to their feet, as the tingle of a teleportation device continued to spread across their scales.

“Another fight? Already?”

“Don’t those tiny aliens have anything better to do?” 

Despite his complaining, Ichi could see the edges of Ni’s mouth curve into a vicious grin. San, on the other hand, was still shaking himself awake- muttering to himself about his dreams.

The roar of the crowd was no less loud as the last time they were here, and Ni growled at the sudden influx of noise. The walls of the arena were coated in a new layer of metal, the interlocking plates defending the vulnerable wires within from their ravenous jaws.

_This won’t be as easy as last time_

“Give it up for our favorite dragon, the not so small underdog-”

“Ghi-do-rah!”

“Against tonight’s Monster Zero, the Mutant Millenian Orga!”

“Found em.” Ni gestured towards a shimmering blue light, suspended in the arena. The three heads pivoted to the mirage, which soon disappeared- replaced by a kaiju. 

Pale white and hunched over, the being shielded its eyes from the blinding light with a clawed hand- a hand large enough to strangle all three heads at once. The dragon warily neared it, and oddly enough the being made no move to fight back. It instead continued to look around frantically, eyes wide with recognisable panic. As they got closer, Ghidorah could now make out the beings' jagged deformed jaws, whispering in some alien language.

When the kaiju saw them, it let out a roar- one that Ghidorah reciprocated with their own. Static crackled at their jaws, and the dragon reared up- all three heads ready to fire their electrical payload onto their foe- cowed by their display of power.

Ghidorah would have blasted this challenger off the face of the arena, had not a sudden surge of pain ripped through their minds. The dragon kneeled in the wake of the psychic attack, all three feeling like something was drilling into their brains.

(Don’t fire your energy weapon!) A pleading voice shouted frantically into their minds.

(I do not want to start a conflict-)

The heads stared incredulously, each one displaying their own mixture of confusion and shock. Was this being- talking to them?

In their minds?

Their electrical charge fizzled, as Ghidorah stopped dead in their tracks. Ichi saw a flash of gratefulness in the alien’s eyes, but when Ni bared his fangs, the silver kaiju stiffened -realising he wasn't quite out of the woods yet.

(Who are you?) Ichi ‘heard’ the left head think, and once again the tingling of the alien’s strange power returned to their minds.

(I am-) The words that came after none of the heads could understand.

Their skeptical looks probably got the point through to the alien, regardless of the language barrier. 

(But it can be shortened to Orga) The silver alien continued, using his oversized arms as supports for his stubby legs. Ni hissed as the alien took a tentative step forward, causing the Mutant to backpedal to a safe distance.

(Give us one reason we should not kill you where you stand)

(Because I have a way to escape this place) 

This got the attention of all three heads, something that Orga caught onto immediately.

(If we work together,) the alien continued, motivated by their looks of curiosity. After all, for Orga- this was a life or death matter.

(I estimate that we could break through the force field and get to it before they can-)

The boos and jeers of the crowd cut their little chat short, clearly this was not what they paid good money to see.

Orga turned a paler shade of white at this turn of events, and Ichi felt the ‘bond’ seep out of their minds as he ran to the arena walls- and slammed one large fist onto the force field. At his failure to break the force field, Orga began to look more anxious, and every passing second Ghidroah noticed his eyes darting around the arena- as if a calamity was about to wipe them out. 

“What kind of fighter is this guy?” 

“I kinda feel bad for him.” San admitted, causing the other two to look at him like he wanted to detach from their body. 

“Have you forgotten where we are?” 

“I know this is supposed to be a pit of death or battle arena or whatever,” San refusing to budge, “but this guy doesn’t seem to be the real threat here.”

“What else are we supposed to fight?” 

As the left and right heads continued to go back and forth, Ichi looked once again at Orga, who was now clawing at the force field- his fingers smoking. The middle head didn't know what to make off this kaiju, but he agreed with San when the left head claimed that Orga wasn't the real threat here. 

But that begged the question-

What was? 

“Oh-ho-ho,” the booming voice of the announcer came on right on time- causing Ni and San to save their rather lengthy debate for later.

“It looks like that there’s a surprise contender for tonight,” the voice continued, his words causing the entire arena to hold their breath.

(By the stars-)

(They're going to send in more kaiju-)

Thousands of pairs of eyes turned at once, staring at the sudden flash of blue that came out of nowhere. Ghidorah readied themselves for battle, bringing out their lightning once more, while Orga knelt as low as his hunched posture would allow. 

A green and golden creature, a blend of metal and flesh. The crowd cheered, and Ichi could pick up the word ‘Gigan’ amongst all the clamor. But unlike its enthusiastic supporters, Gigan silently hovered in place- the cold and calculating glare behind its singular eye indicated to the dragon that this was no mere beast. The newcomer paid no heed to Orga, who was slowly backing away from the newcomer, but Ghidorah was a whole different story.

The cyborg let out a taunting screech upon seeing them- metallic and shrill but every bit as vicious as any real kaiju. 

“Now this is a fighter.” Ni cracked a grin, anticipation for battle simmering in his eyes. 

All their heads, San included, crackled with thunder as the dragon stared their foe down- who didn't seem to acknowledge or care of their display of power. The avian nonchalantly pointed one scythe at the dragon, and slid it’s other bladed claw across his neck.

A challenge. 

“Or should I say-”

“Contenders?”

The creature’s beak moved, speaking words that Ghidorah could not quite hear due to cheers and the praises from the excited crowd. 

“Give it up for Gigan and Megalon!”


	8. Victory or Death

“Wait, brothers didn’t he say contenders?”

(Dragon! Behind you-)

Orga’s warning came a little too late, as Ghidorah had already crumpled onto the ground- the sheer force knocking the dragon to their knees. Ni and San swivelled around and blasted their bolts, dislodging whatever had been on their back as the dragon took off.

A beetle, covered in thick copper armor, and who Ghidorah assumed was Megalon. Its beady yellow eyes devoid of any higher thought, Megalon hovered below them- translucent wings beating behind its armored elytron as it readied itself for another mid-air charge. Its drills glinted dangerously as it rose towards them- an aerial battering ram. Ghidorah strafed past the charge, sending the beetle careening into the forcefield- only for a sudden pain to erupt from their backs.

Gigan scythe dug into the wounds made by his allies’s drills, the titanium blade cutting even further down into the dragon’s flesh. The cyborg cried out as a retaliatory bolt from the right head singed his visor, and retreated as Ghidorah spun in the air. Their massive wings inadvertently slapped Megalon out of the air, sending the beetle careening to the floor with an undignified thud. Ghidorah let out a savage trill as they barrelled towards the lone Gigan- thinking they could take the avian out on their own.

But unlike the dragon, Gigan was a machine built for battle- with years of experience under his belt. Or at least, that’s what it looked like from his fighting form alone.

The cyborg dodged their charge easily, and with one blade, cut a horrid line across their underbelly. As the two of them flew together, Ghidorah’s heads screeching in panic as the blade slowly made its way through their chest, Gigan tore at their wings- his titanium blade easily tearing through their delicate membranes. The dragon suddenly dropped down, and even as the dragon’s nearest heads tore at the cyborg’s armor, Gigan continued to fight- his scythe now targeting their shoulder muscles. A sudden crackling noise from nearby caused the cyborg to let go of his handhold, and he barely dodged another bolt from the right head of the dragon.

Ghidorah, despite having a bloody line bisecting their chest, managed to stabilise themselves in midair. A volley of bolts soared towards Gigan, and not even he was able to dodge all of them. Parts of the cyborg's gold and green armor turned a shade of black, but just before Ghidorah could land the finishing bolt, they were knocked aside by Megalon- his horn stabbing into their sides as the beetle brought them both crashing into the wall. His success was short lived however, as Ghidorah kicked the beetle off their chest and repelled him with a clubbed tail to the head. Megalon fired off a trio of fireballs at the dragon, only for Ghidorah to flap their wings and send them right back. Megalon chittered as his own napalm burnt across his exoskeleton, while Ghidorah prepared to finish the fumbling beetle off.

Only for Gigan to make himself known, bringing down both scythes on Ghidorah’s remaining wing and cleanly cutting through it. 

———————————————————————————————————

Nearby, Orga watched as the golden dragon fell to the ground with a bang- the dust cloud large enough to block the stars. No matter how strong they were, the dragon was still only one monster- and not even they could last long against an onslaught like this. 

(FIGHT YOU COWARD)

The voice of one of the heads, filled with frustration, spoke in his mind. Orga scurried further back into the darker corners- praying to his gods that he would not be seen. 

(I am unable to) the mutant justified, as he heard the infuriation building in the voice’s mind.

(I have no adaptations for combat engagements-)

In the air, Gigan pointed one scythe/claw towards the cloud- a signal for Megalon to charge in first. The beetle obeyed without question, and the two soon disappeared into the dust.  
(I cannot help you drago-)

A shrill scream from inside the cloud caused Orga to sever the link between him and the dragon. Megalon burst out of the cloud like a cannonball, slamming into the wall singed and smoking with burns all over his exoskeleton. Ghidorah roared as they brought all three heads down on a prone Gigan’s arm, and tore it out of its socket with a snap. The cyborg managed to slash at their necks, a bloody line dripping from his remaining scythe as he dodged a slam from the dragon’s twin tails. The avian fired off a laser from his visor, targeting the dragon’s wing membranes and wounds as Ghidorah’s bolts missed their mark.

A sudden rumbling shook the mutant out of his stupor. His ribs made a sickening crack as Megalon, who needed a new foe to fight, rammed into Orga with the force of a steam engine.

But before he could do too much damage, the beetle was abruptly shot off his new foe- the bolt pushing him off course. Orga rolled onto the dirt- massive claws gripping tightly onto the floor. His eyes widened as he watched Gigan push his ‘ally’ onto the ground from behind- the clean surgical cuts on their legs and wings inhibiting their movements.

At that moment, Orga decided that he needed to act.

Aiming was the easy part, as a former scientist he was more than capable of running the predicted path. Now came the much more tedious one. The mutant felt the crackling as his shoulders were forcibly split apart, and even now the pain still felt every bit as unbearable. The humming noise faded into the background as the mutant braced himself for the inevitable.

———————————————————————————————————

With his remaining arm, Gigan dug his scythe into the roof of San’s mouth- the metal cutting through the soft flesh like a hot knife in butter as Ni dropped the cyborg’s severed arm at his brother’s suffering. One hooked leg on the back of his neck, the other two heads knew full well what the avian was trying to do. San’s trill of pain caused their hearts to drop, and the ensuing rage was enough to motivate the other two to summon their thunder. But the slight crackle that followed bore much worse news. 

They ran out.

Ichi and Ni tried their best to fend him off, their teeth sinking into metallic skin, ripping out some chunks of wires and blood. Gigan let out a victorious shriek as he heard the snap of San’s jaws, as the dragon’s head was slowly being ripped apart at the seams. San’s frenzied shrieks were growing in pitch, and Ni realised just what he was about to witness.

His eyes closed, the right head not wanting to see what came next.

A sudden boom reverberated across the arena.

Gigan was pushed away from San, soaring across the arena into the walls. The beam pushed him deeper for good measure, before sputtering out like a dying engine. 

Orga’s flesh grew like a weed as it rapidly covered what was once a gaping hole, presumably where the beam had been fired from. From the gouges in the ground, he had been pushed quite a considerable distance back- the dirt caking his claws only more evidence to that.

(How’s that for a coward?) 

The mutant kneeled down to one knee, probably not used to the pain. Ghidorah knew that he wouldn't be off any help anymore, but at least it had given the dragon some time. Megalon flew right past them, towards his downed ally. Gigan shakily rose, and after batting away his comrade’s offer of aid, pointed his remaining scythe at the dragon.

Despite his lackluster intelligence, Megalon got the hint.

Their wounds healed slowly, and Ni could faintly hear Ichi briefly checking on San- whose neck and jaws were in worst shape compared to the rest of them. After seeing the left head’s shaky nod, Ichi turned to the right head- despite it being probably obvious what the right head was thinking.

The beetle finally charged, and Ghidorah roared out in challenge- daring the beetle to do their worst- claws digging into the dirt. Their broken wings turned into importou shields as the two collided, the dragon bearing the full force of the charge with ease. One clawed wing clubbed Megalon in the side of the head, sending the beetle once again careening into a wall. Gigan’s visor began to glow an ominous red, before a burst of light dashed towards them. The following laser scorched Ghidorah’s flesh, the beam short-lived but painful. Ghidorah tried to catch his foe as he recharged from the use of his weapon, all three heads snapped into empty air as Gigan drew back- not wanting to risk his remaining limbs in battle. The dragon paused to take another breath, until a sudden buzzing sound alerted them that the fight was not over. 

Megalon’s charge was successful for the second time, breaking several of the dragon’s ribs and bones as he plowed through. His drills left ugly wounds as he strafed out of reach of the dragon’s jaws, spitting napalm balls as he did so. 

Flame, flesh and fury all mixed into one as Ghidorah continued to try and fend off his two foes- whose strafes were only growing more and more frequent as the dragon tired. Their strikes hit empty air, the limited sparks of electricity crackling at their jaws only for show. 

Megalon cockily clanged his drills as he readied for the final charge- aiming at the dragon’s heart. As he dove down, Gigan watched- knowing full well that Ghidorah was going to fall. He scoffed under his breath, regretting that he didn't get a chance to finish Ghidorah himself. 

But just before the beetle hit them for what he thought was the final time, the dragon dodged - the charge barely missing the tips of their scales. Ichi’s head moved instantly, and found their target- Megalon’s horn. Physics took over as Ichi redirected the beetle’s momentum, slamming the insect into the floor back first. Ni and San got to work, both heads constricting around the beetle’s wide body and lifting him up. Ghidorah’s own legs burnt in pain due to having to support the weight of the beetle in addition to their own. Megalon chirped out in protest as he realised, too late, that Ghidorah had him right where he wanted. 

Ichi began to drain electricity from the beetle’s horns, sensing a hint of bioelectrical energy flowing through them. He had never tried this before, but the technique was ruthlessly effective.  
Megalon immediately felt the energy leave his body. His vision began to blur, and Megalon felt a sharp stinging pain come from inside his own head. In desperation, he fired off an electrical bolt, something that Gigan had told him not to do earlier, expecting it to burn through Ghidorah’s head and secure his victory. 

Safe to say it only tickled Ichi as he continued to absorb the beetle’s energy. 

The beetle switched tactics, attempting to burn the necks tying him with his napalm, but Ichi was swift to respond, blocking Megalon’s mouth with his coils. The crowd went wild as Ghidorah used their three necks to lift Megalon high into the air, showing off their trophy. The beetle’s mind burned in agony as the absorption continued, and soon he was out cold- all the electricity in his nerves having been taken for the dragon’s own use. Their entire body crackled and fizzled, similar to they way they did in their previous match, and the lights flickered as Ghidorah let out a burst of electromagnetic power.

Nearby, Gigan could only watch as his ally was slowly drained- two choices on the cyborg's mind.

To survive.

Or to fight.

The choice was an easy one to make.

Gigan immediately began to back away from Ghidorah, who dropped the unconscious Megalon to the ground like a sandbag. All three of the dragon’s eyes bored into his soul, each one silts of malice and vengeance, as Gigan felt something he hadn't felt in awhile.

Fear.

With a shrill shriek, Ni fired off a bolt that knocked their foe out of the sky. As Gigan crashed to the ground, he got back up in seconds- immediately trying to fly off again. Ghidorah’s thunderous steps grew closer and closer, and soon a jaw clamped on the avian’s translucent green tail just as he was about to take off. With a heave, Ichi slammed the cyborg into the ground- causing dust and shrapnel to explode into the sky.

Bits and pieces of Gigan now lay sprawled across the ground, as Ghidorah continued to batter his foe. Ni dug into the metal, tearing it off like an animal would a carcass. Sparks crackled at Ichi’s mouth as he disconnected Gigan’s remaining limbs one by one, with the precision of a surgeon. 

Ni’s teeth jet black with oil and blood as he drew back. Ichi pulled off the cyborg’s tail, and flipped it into the nearby pile of limbs- leaving the cyborg as a shadow of what he once was. Gigan’s visor crackled with their last sparks of life- he was very much alive despite being torn apart from limb to limb.  
“You fool.” 

Gigan spoke in the language of their kind, and seeing as only the interstellar dragons knew the tongue, it was strange to hear it in the garbled mechanical voice of the cyborg. 

“Brothers, did he just-”

“Ignore him.” Ni cut off the left head as they continued to walk away- each step a taunt for the downed cyborg. Gigan let out a shriek of rage, and tried to fire off one last laser- only for it to fizzle out- inciting a snicker from the right head. His humiliating defeat at the dragon’s jaws made the cyborg fume in rage, a thousand cruel and scathing curses running through his mind.

“You do not know who you have wronged-” he once again said, the words distorted and slurred- but still in the language of the Dorats.

“I-I will hunt you down to--”

Ghidorah lay one foot on the cyborg's neck, and snapped it with their weight.

“-a-and f-finish-'' Gigan's last words puttered out as the last vestiges of his electricity left his head, the light from his cycloptic eye fading away. The dragon let out a thunderous trill of victory, as the crowd roared in glee at their newest champion. 

———————————————————————————————————


	9. A Strike of Clarity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consider this a little extra, because holy I have not been posting them here for a long while. Also, Happy New Years!

San watched their newest opponents, two jet black kaiju with veins pulsing a bioluminescent blue. One unveiled its leathery wings, taking to the sky- while the other charged towards the golden dragon. The landbound kaiju beat its chest and leapt towards Ghidorah - one titanic fist winding back and aimed squarely at the middle head. Ichi let out something that San could only describe as a sinister cackle, before blasting their opponent in the face- propelling him backwards.

In one lunge of their mighty legs, Ghidorah had covered the distance between them. The full weight of the dragon pressed on the kaiju’s chest. Thunder boomed as they burnt their opponent’s flesh, inciting a scream of agony as the beast tried desperately to get them off and end the pain- his fists bouncing off their golden hide. Bones began to break as the dragon pushed onwards, their feat burning in the toxic blood as it began to descend deeper into their foe’s insides. 

A sudden impact pushed them off, saving the blue one from certain death, and San saw their other foe- biting into Ichi’s neck. Before he could intervene, Ni was already there- tearing into the winged one’s exposed neck. The kaiju let out a shrill scream- but Ni didn't care- and tossed her aside with one swing. He tried to follow up with another bolt, but the winged one was quick- and the bolt scorched the ground as their foe fled.

Ghidorah let out a roar of rage, and flew up in pursuit with one flap of their mighty wings, Ichi and Ni firing bolts into empty air as they caught up with their foe- colliding in mid air with a bang. The other kaiju let out a shrill shriek, as she was knocked into the forcefield- burning her glowing flesh, before plummeting to the ground.   
The left head took one more look at the body of the other foe- his blue blood leaking into the ground as the blood of so many others had done. 

———————————————————————————————————

Ghidorah’s cackles mingled with the chatter of their crowd, electricity crackling from their wingtips as they flew above the carnage below. Bolt after bolt rained down from the heavens, the divine judgement of a god, scorching the insectoid kaiju below. Droves upon droves of the creatures flooded out of open gates, waves upon waves of drones with only one goal in mind.

To kill.

(So hungry-) 

San heard Orga’s voice whisper in his mind, as Ghidorah continued to rain down pain on the Trilopods, the mutant clearly starting to lose his grip ever so slightly.

Another tremor crashed through the arena as a ‘Trilopod’ was sent flying into the walls, and subsequently crushed by a pale white hand. The left head didn't know how many matches Orga had gone through between this one and their battle against the two cyborgs, but the fact that the alien had even tried to eat one of the carcasses meant that even he was starting to give into his primal urges.

(FOOD AT LAST) 

Orga 's jaw unhinged like a boa constrictor, only for the carcass to explode in his hands from the sheer grip. With a savage cry, Orga lashed out at another nearby Trilopod in frustration- this time setting breaking its exoskeleton. To think that this was the same alien that had offered them a way out, San lamented to himself, not caring if the mutant could hear his thoughts.

Ghidorah landed on the ground with a crash, joining his alien ally on the ground. They trilled wildly as they began to tear at the aliens, chomping and snapping the necks of several of the insectoids like twigs. He blasted another bolt at an unlucky Trilopod that had overestimated its own stealth abilities, the beast screaming shrilly as its flesh sizzled. 

As the insectoid convulsed on the ground in its death throes, San couldn't help but grin at his handiwork. But as soon as it came, a wave of disinterest took its place- as another concussive ray from Orga butchered an entire drove of Trilopods in one go. The pale alien dashed over in another attempt to feast, moving like a starved hound, only for ten more Trilopods to latch onto his back. Ichi and Ni were too busy fighting their own sets of enemies, the right head choking the life out of one unfortunate Trilopod who had unwisely gotten too close. A well-placed bolt from San was enough to ease the load on Orga’s back, burning the exoskeletons of their numerous foes.

The last Trilopod was squashed under the dragon’s feet with a crunch, as Ghidorah trilled victoriously for their adoring fans.

———————————————————————————————————

“Brothers, must we do this again?”

San bemoaned as they appeared in the arena once more. They were usually too tired to argue after fighting battle after battle, or just not in the mood to converse. Today was no exception to this trend.   
“Beats sitting in the dark.” Ni huffed, eyeing the empty arena as if a kaiju was going to spring out from beneath the ground like a sandworm.

“Please give a warm welcome to our new King of the Ring, Ghi-do-rah!”

The roar of the crowd was no longer mind-numbingly loud, and San had long gotten used to it. He no longer paid any heed to the announcer, San having nearly memorized the man’s entire limited vocabulary at this point, the only ‘new’ word being something like ‘Hedrah’. Whatever that one meant.

A sudden smell of refuse assaulted all three of their nostrils, and Ghidorah couldn’t help but gag in disgust. Sewage began to leak in from vents in the arena walls, the gray-black sludge noxious and most definitely corrosive. Ghidorah flew up into the sky, as the sludge began to cover the entirety of the ground and eat at the arena walls.

“We won’t have any place to land, so be ready with your bolts.” Ichi said to the two of them. Their jaws crackled with lightning, as the three of them eyes every inch of the sea of gray muck- half expecting something to burst from within.

It was only after San heard the unmistakable noise of something being teleported nearby did he think to look up. 

For a split second, the dragon saw what appeared to be a benign gray cloud, and San brushed it off as much- until it fell on them with the weight of a kaiju. Ghidorah roared in protest as the living muck began to envelop their entire body, the weight of the kaiju pushing them to the ground. Their scales sizzled as the corrosive substance began to tear at their armor, each second in the creature’s grasp painful and tortuous. Pure lightning crackled in their veins as Ghidorah let out a cackle, and blasted their opponent off with a pulse of electrical energy- and then fired off several lethal beams of thunder onto the now fleeing cloud of muck.

So this was Heodrah.

“Is this really what we’re fighting?” Ni commented, the right head chuckling at the smaller size of their opponent. 

“Be careful,” Ichi warned, “For all we know it could be-”

And, as per usual, Ni interrupted the middle head’s words with a blast of lightning- nailing the toxic cloud in the chest and blasting it into smithereens.

“And that’s done.” 

But, to the right head’s shock, the creature quickly grew back any damage they did to it, smoke billowing from the ground to reform its own body. ‘Hedrah’ was clearly not happy with being attacked, its two beady red eyes staring at them with murder on its mind. With a surprisingly intimidating gurgle, the blob launched several globs of sludge at the dragon from vents in its back, but Ghidorah dodged them- the air was their domain after all. Ni and San quickly retaliated with another pair of bolts, and that quickly sent the blob spiralling to the ground- avoiding the blast by inches. It disappeared into the muck- swimming in the toxic sludge as if it were water.

The arena grew still, as all three heads scanned the arena- waiting for a sign of movement. Their scales still smoked from the residue from the blob’s initial landing on their back, and it made Ghidorah look even more like the embodiment of the storm.

“Brothers,” San whispered, gesturing towards a bubbling patch of the refuse below. A leviathan rising from the depths, Hedrah reconstructed itself out of the trash- absorbing the surrounding muck into itself like a vacuum cleaner. It grew larger with every second, and soon the sludge monster had already surpassed Ghidorah in size, something not many kaiju could brag about.  
“It can’t get us up here right?” 

As if in answer to his question, several columns of sludge, controlled by Hedrah’s power, exploded out of the sea of muck. They surged towards them, each one soot black and probably every bit as corrosive as Hedrah was. Thunder and tentacles clashed in the skies as Hedrah sent pillar after pillar of sludge, each one either being broken down by lightning or harmlessly splattering onto the forcefield above. 

But as quickly as they came, the tentacles quickly receded back into the sea of muck, as Hedrah watched the dragon above, as still as stone. It became clear to the dragon that the sludge monster had changed its tactics, as a foul-smelling smoke began to seep from the sea of muck. Ghidroah tried to fly up to avoid it, but was quickly halted by the forcefield. The entire arena swiftly became one gray cloud- a malodorous smog that obscured all light. Ghidorah could barely see their own wingtips, much less fight in these conditions. Their bioluminescence didn't help much, the yellow glow quickly enveloped by the overbearing monotone of grays and blacks.

“Does anybody see that stupid little-”

“Quiet Ni,” Ichi hissed, “We may not be able to see him- but he cannot find us either.”

“If we can find him before he finds us, we could potentially turn the tables and-”

“Oh I’m not so sure about that one brother.” 

San couldn't help but internally say his prayers at the sight of now titanic Hedrah, whose burning red gaze lit up in the smoke. Hedrah’s deep gurgles reverberated in the arena walls, and it crashed onto them like a tidal wave. Ghidorah couldn't even scream as they hit the ground, as the sludge quickly began to envelop them. It was like drowning, the slowly tightening pressure building on their entire body. The sludge ate at their skin, their scales giving way to their muscles. Ni and Ichi both tried to call upon their bolts, but the latter paused - of Hedrah’s sludge entering his mouth and dissolving his insides dissuaded them from doing so. Ni had not realised it until it was too late, and had to learn the hard way. The dragon could only struggle in vain, as they slowly perished in the darkness.  
San had been trapped in the dark for his entire life-

But he decided that he would be trapped no more.

His jaws found their grip, and the left head bit down in one last desperate bid to free themselves. With a crunch, something broke- and Hedrah’s cries of pain were a sign that whatever San had done had worked. The sludge surrounding them rapidly receded as Ghidorah stumbled back onto their feet- the smell of rot mingling with the already noxious smog that Hedrah had made. San had never been happier to see the light of the arena, the smoke having been funneled out of the vents and finally allowing him to see once again.  
Ni was busy gasping for breath, his earlier stunt having nearly cost him his airways. Ichi had survived relatively unscathed, his insides mostly intact thanks to his quick thinking- and was busy attempting to peel off some of the scabs caused by the acidic sludge.

“What in the stars is that?” Ni asked after catching his breath.

The left head was holding up what looked like a deep-red heart, still beating. Black oil-like blood poured out of it, as the various networks of luminescent white nerves that connected to it tried desperately to reach the sludge below. San held it higher, keeping the organ away from its lifeblood- and preventing Hedrah from regaining his full might.

A sudden splat from Hedrah caught their attention, its head somehow still alive despite the severing of its vital organ. The blob didn't move upon being seen; it only watched the dragon with wide eyes. Although they couldn't quite understand its pleading gurgling, the message was clear enough. Ghidorah’s heads all looked at one another, debating on their options.

“Burn it.” Ni sneezed out another piece of sludge, his words carrying their usual amount of viciousness. Ichi meanwhile was looking up into the crowd, as if he couldn't care less about their opponent- who was still pathetically flailing in a desperate attempt to reach its heart. 

The left head, who was still holding the heart, didn't seem to share the right head’s sentiments. San didnt say anything as he dropped the heart onto the ground with a splat, much to his brother’s infuriation and Hedrah’s delight. As the blob stretched one tentacle to it, Ni immediately turned towards the left head- but before the words could even leave his mouth, Ichi spoke.

“Not now Ni.”

“But-”

“Not. Now.”

Ichi looked just as disgruntled with the left head’s choice as Ni, but he did a better job of hiding it. The right head growled, before turning his attention to the slowly reforming blob. Hedrah, despite being much smaller than the gargantuan form it was before, continued to stare at them- disappearing into the muck in an almost lazy manner. The blob waved at Ghidorah, and nodded approvingly at the left head, before completely disappearing back into the muck. 

The arena, for once, was silent as Ghidorah was teleported away.

———————————————————————————————————

“Remind me again why you spared that literal trash heap?” 

Ni glared daggers at his companion, and despite his courteous tone- the frustration in his words were clear. It had only been a few minutes after their battle against Hedrah, and Ni still had some fight left.

But little did the right head know, so did San-

And he was not content being the peacemaker any longer.

“Don’t you two get what they are doing to us?!”

San shot back with the force of a cannon, his words bitter and resentful - causing the other two heads to reel back in shock. Ni silently made a mental note to not mess with San ever again. Ichi followed suit.

“How long until our crown is taken, and we are cast aside like an old toy,”

“The only reason they are keeping us alive is because we can fight- how long until that isn't true anymore?!”

“We could have been so much more, something so much greater-”

The questioning and almost pessimistic tone in the left head’s tone was a punch in the gut for the other two. 

“And yet we’ve been held prisoner in our own bodies, unable to see the stars or the sky or anything outside of the same four goddamn walls-”

“Is this really how we let them treat us?!”

His words had rung true, and the other two felt a growing sense of realisation-

“I’m sick of being their pet!” San spat, a hint of lightning crackling at his jaws.

“I want to be free! I WANT TO BE A KING!”

The two other heads watched, stunned, as the left head slunk back under their wing.

“San-” 

When the left head didn't reply, Ichi turned back towards the right head- who looked like he had swallowed a bucket of sewage. The right head coughed, and that managed to cause the left head to retreat out of his hiding pot- his single visible ruby eye filled with a mixture of emotions.


	10. Dragons and Deceptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed the title, for the reference of course.

“What do you mean we’re losing monsters?”

“Every monster we sent against him dies,” the intern, a lanky newbie whose name Gorn didn't quite remember.

“Megalon and Gigan were our only survivors, and even then the latter still needed extensive repairs to even come close to his former fighting condition.”

“We can’t keep this up for any longer.”

“Why not just use more of Magita’s brood?” The ape retorted, referring to the massive alien insect that provided their captive kaiju with ‘prey’. The intern soon went on about ‘breeding cycles’ and ‘viable eggs’ - her voice growing stronger. Gorn instinctively reached into his pockets for his cigars, but the ape realised he had run out. 

“Get to the point kid.” He said, his patience presumably where his cigars were.

“We need to something about the dragon, commander-”

“Then send in Titan.”

“But sir, the analysts calculate that even Titan only has a 45 percent-”

“I don’t care what the analysts say,” 

“Send him in, and take the proper precautions.”

“You wouldn’t want to be the one who cost me my favorite monster wouldn't you?” 

The intern muttered a brief ‘no Commander’ before leaving the command room. The Simeon general turned back to the match on the screen, one between Gigan, who had been ‘repaired’ recently by the technicians, and a ‘kaiju’ called Dogora. Despite Gigan not being at his full strength, the burn damage in his joints visible - the titanic amoeba did not offer much resistance, the crowd booing as they watched the one sided fight. 

As the two monsters were whisked away, the ape pushed a button on his arm chair- pulling up a very different monitor. It showed footage from a containment cell, flooded in seawater and nearly pitch black with the exception of several clumps of man-made undersea vents- glowing orange with heat. Alien fish flitted to and fro, acting as decorations to help their real champion acclimate to the arena.

“Wake up,” Gorn said into the intercom-

“You’ve got a dragon to kill.”

A yellow eye opened in the darkness, as the beast within readied itself for battle at its master’s command.

———————————————————————————————————

As usual, his brothers were going on with their little back and forth- while San was lost in the clouds. In the arena, this was a totally normal routine for Ghidorah- but this time, there was something amiss. 

“Why is there so much water here?” 

“Hell if I know.”

“Probably your leftover drool from last night,” Ichi snorted at the right head’s suggestion, the atmosphere markedly lighter than before. San did appreciate that the other two were finally making an effort to get along, and it did take his mind away from the previous night’s events.

“Silence Ni.”

“Don’t try to deny the truth.”

A miniscule creature brushed past their knees, a tickle that was enough to shake San out of his stupor.

If the back and forth between Ni and Ichi wasn't enough of an indicator, the arena was flooded. The water level was slowly rising as the familiar sounds of the arena came back to him- their voices loud and erratic as ever. 

“Metal?” 

San glanced over at what appeared to be a rod poking out of the water’s surface, and went all the way through the arena’s floor. It’s shape was rather odd- it looked like a cylinder attached to a very pointy cone- the cone end of the shape pointing towards the bottom of the water. All three heads began to investigate the rusted spires, each one brown and roughly the same size. 

“Don’t touch it Ni.”

Ichi, despite his words prior, then proceeded to grab one in his jaws, and swing it around in the air. The spire was light and sharp, the sharpened swings sparking with residual static from the dragon’s jaws.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome our defending champion-”

The crowd began to chant as the announcer’s voice boomed across the arena, Ni shirking at how loud the man had become in this particular fight. Ichi dropped the spear to the side, and San heard him mutter at the other two to ‘be ready’. In the distance, Ghidorah saw a shimmer of blue light- another kaiju was arriving. 

“Back out of retirement to take our ‘King’ Ghidorah to their watery grave,”

“Please welcome the one and only Abyssal Giant-”

The kaiju had fully warped in now, but from here all Ghidorah saw it as was a red silhouette- vaguely bipedal like Gigan and Megalon. All three heads readied their gravity bolts, as the camera drones began to flit behind them- pointing themselves at the now charging kaiju.

“TI-TAN-O-SAURUS!”

A roar, louder than that of the crowd, echoed across the arena. The red speck was quickly growing closer to them, water spouts shooting up from its heavy footfalls. Ghidorah could now see the sail running down its back, and the sharp rows of teeth that lined its narrow jaws as the beast drew near- slow methodical footsteps a contrast to all the other kaiju they had fought before.

Titanosaurus was not going to be an easy foe to fight. 

Bolts of lightning scorched through the air, honed on the goliath opposing their master. Titanosaurus strafed past all them- but each one glanced the red beast’s scales and gave them a coating of burnt flesh. With a sudden burst of speed, the saurian closed the distance between them- and slammed into the dragon at full force. Ghidorah brought all three heads down, each crackling with electricity, only for Titanousaurs to flit to a safe distance in the nick of time. With their foe retreating, Ghidorah spread their wings and soared into the sky- bringing down another volley of bolts onto the battlefield. Titanosaurus didn't even roar out in pain at the assault, several burns now adorning the saurian’s skin. With a sweep of his tail, the red titan kicked up a wall of water- obscuring the dragon’s vision as they shook off the droplets.

“Where did that little sh-”

The water behind them erupted as Titanosaurus lunged out of the waves, clutching one of the spires. Ghidorah quickly pivoted around, and their wings managed to intercept the saurian and send him plummeting back down. As Titanosaurus recuperated, the dragon readied their bolts- and with a thunderous bang all three heads fired off their deadly weapons.

Only for the electricity abruptly change direction, into the metal embedded into their flesh. Ghidorah let out a discordant trill as their greatest weapon was turned against them, the burning pain tearing at their insides. San grabbed the searing hot spire lodged into their wing, and ripped it out even as his gums burned. 

Before they even got to recover, something tugged at one of their tails. With one muscular arm, their foe evened the playing field- bringing Ghidorah into the waves as if they weighed nothing. Titanosaurus was soon biting down- the pain from his rather weak bite augmented by the fact that he was also shoving another spire into their body with one of his arms. The Abyssal giant didn't even flinch at Ghidorah’s retaliation, which was all three heads digging into the saurian’s shoulder blades. But he could not ignore being abruptly pulled from their body- and thrown quite a distance away.

With a trill, Ghidorah’s massive wings unfurled as they attempted to take to the skies once more, but the Abyssal Giant had already accounted for that. His own flesh streaming with blood, Titanosaurus swiftly grabbed one of Ghidorah’s wings just before they got out of reach. The crack that followed was louder than any storm Ghidorah had ever conjured, Titanosaurus’s sheer strength dislocating the entire limb from their shoulder. One wing fell limply to the side as all three heads looked on in shock, and the two quickly fell to the ground. Titanosaurus was faster to recover, and with a heave and a quick grab, the saurian held the entire weight of the dragon overhead for the crowd to see.

Metal bent and broke as they were thrown across the ground, the shrapnel embedded into their body. All six pairs of their scarlet eyes crackling with bloody murder, sharp fangs bared and eager to dig into the saurian’s flesh. Had any other kaiju seen this, they would have been trembling in fear. But Titanosaurus didn't react, eyes frozen in a permanent death stare as he watched his opponent rise.

“You’ll pay for that.” Ni growled, uncaring of the fact that the creature couldn't understand him. Titanosaurus merely grabbed another metal spire, reading another weapon to use against the dragon. 

“NI DON’T!” 

Before Ichi could stop him, it was too late. The current once again flowed into the metal, causing another wave of pain to flare out as Ni missed his attempts at burning their agile foe. With a quick flick, several of the fragments were tossed aside- Ichi’s jaws now looking similar to the left head’s. As the dragon continued to remove the shrapnel, their regrown flesh pushing debris out of hard to reach corners, Titanosaurus only watched- taunting them silently from a distance. 

Furious thunder built up at their jaws as all three heads summoned every vestige of electricity in their veins, blood glowing a incandescent yellow. Clouds billowed from their feet as Ghidorah readied their last resort, a trio of lightning bolts so powerful that it would incinerate this interloper of the face of the Earth.

Their trill shook the arena, inciting a cheer from the spectators. 

With a rancorous boom, a trio of lightning bolts screeched across the arena- superheating the air as it passed. Titanosaurus didn't even move, and only watched as they grew closer and closer.

As if he was waiting for something.

A sudden explosion shook the entire arena as a plume of dust and water burst from where the kaiju was standing, the electricity sparking into every direction. The three heads of Ghidorah closed their jaws- certainly nothing could have survived that. And as the debris began to get sucked out of the arena by the ventilation, all eyes went towards where Titanosaurus once was. 

The red titan let out a triumphant roar as he walked out of the fog unharmed.

———————————————————————————————————

Up in the observation deck, Gorn let out a chuckle. As he had planned, the dragon’s attack was being redirected into a particular set of metal spires- these ones connected to each other via a system of cables.  
His eyes briefly darted to another monitor, showing a darkened room. Something inside was writhing in pain as more of the dragon’s electricity flowed into it, the sparks of light illuminating the creature’s blackened body. Gorn made a mental note to dispose of it later, and maybe salvage some of the creature’s hide for sale, before returning into the fight.

———————————————————————————————————

Another brutal punch landed on the right head, knocking out a few of Ni’s teeth. With a trill of uncharacteristic rage, San dug his teeth into the saurain’s eye- but even that didn't seem to stop the juggernaut. Another punch to the gut brought Ghidorah onto all fours, and with a sweep of his powerful tail, Titanosaurus sent his foe soaring backwards. But the dragon’s tenacity could not be understated, and even with all those wounds Ghidorah rose back up.

Lightning built up at Ichi’s jaws, but anyone could see that it was clearly a bluff. Titanosaurus pressed on, and with another surprisingly fast dash- launched his final attack. The dragon was quickly pressed onto the ground in a chokehold, a bulky red claw pressing down on their wounds. Ichi tried to fire a bolt, but the sparks fizzled and faded in his jaws.

They had run out of electricity after so much fighting, and that only made the dragon even more desperate to turn the tides.

With a trill, Ghidorah swung their whole body- batting the red titan to the side with their wing. Their wings nearly bucked under them as they rose- chock full of shrapnel dislodged from the ground. Even without their thunder, they would slay this beast. Ghidorah threw themselves at the red titan recklessly- claws scraping at the fallen beast’s hide. Talons scraped across Titanousaur’s scaly hide, as Ghidorah’s heads continued to bite and tear at the saurian’s hide. 

But in their fury, the dragon had just thrown away their greatest advantage.

Titanosaurus was adapted to the pressure of the bottom of an alien sea, millions of years of evolution blessing him and his kind with a strength to rival Ghidorah. His master knew this, and so it was only in close quarter combat could the true strength of the kaiju shine. 

And while Ghidorah may have had the power of thunder and enough energy to power a star, it didn't matter if the red Titan broke their jaws in half.

One quick uppercut sent Ni and Ichi reeling, and San could only watch as Titanosaurus pulled one arm back. With a sickening crunch, his entire hand pierced the dragon’ chest bones and shrapnel grasped in its curved claws. The dragon was swiftly thrown off, flying into the sky before dropping onto the blade-laden floor like a brick. The saurian regained his bearings in a near instant, numb to the wounds all over his body, and laid one foot on the dragon’s torn back as Krystalak had done so long ago. The three heads tried to push him off, biting his softer sails and his toes, but the fight was already won.

Titanosaurus held his spear for all the spectators to see, caked in the blood of their ‘king’. He let out a haunting cry, resonating across the water and the walls like a siren’s song. With the finality of an executioner, the titan brought his weapon down on the dragon’s chest for one last time. 

“All hail our returning champion, Ti-tano-saurus!” 

The announcer’s words became hazy as Ghidorah began to lose consciousness, blood loss and exhaustion taking their toll. The lights blurred as they let out a weakened chirp of pain, inciting Titanosaurs to press down on their broken ribs even further.

Then, the pain was too much- and Ghidorah lost consciousness.

———————————————————————————————————

“I’ve still got it.” 

Gorn chuckled to himself as he stretched his wrists, removing the gauntlets he had been using to control his champion. As Titanosaurus was teleported back into his domain for healing, the ape watched as the arriving Mechagodzilla unit carried the comatose dragon off the arena. The seawater was quickly being drained, as swarms of drones cleaned up the remnants of the titanic battle before. 

“Get Titanosaurus into the ring again,” Gorn ordered his subordinates on the other end of the line, “Against whatever kaiju we have left.”

Just after hearing the ‘affirmative’ from the other end, a second sharper voice, presumably the Mechagodzilla operator, chimed from the speakers.

“What do we do with the dragon?”

“Chuck em into the incinerator.” 

———————————————————————————————————


	11. Second Wind

Chapter 11: Second Wind

Author's Note: I hope you readers are enjoying the story so far, and remember to leave a review when you're done reading. Let's hope that Godzilla vs Kong releases this year without delay, and Happy New Years!

With a jolt, Ichi shot up- the motion causing the bones in his neck to snap back into place. His vision still blurry, the middle head still saw the trio of bloody holes in their abdomen- leaving a trail of blood as they were dragged across the floor by- something. Ichi felt the touch of the other two heads, presumably unconscious, and the cold firm grasp of a wire that had been tied across their necks. Their fight with the 'Titanosaurus' dented much more than just their pride, the aching pain in their body slowly dulling as their body did their best to repair the damage.

Whatever had been dragging them came to an abrupt stop, causing the dragon's heads to lurch back and collide with a metallic surface. The ground abruptly started shaking beneath them, only now did Ichi notice the oppressive silence. A quick look up at the numerous white dots in the distance confirmed his theory.

They were outside the arena.

The stars above only watched Ghidorah, or at least the one awake head, struggle against their restraints. Their captor pivoted the dragon via the bind on their necks- taking care to point their heads away from its body.

Allowing Ichi to see their final destination.

Smoke billowed from the endless maw of the Incinerator, billowing out fumes that dissipated as they travelled out into the void. It dwarfed even the titanic dragon, an entryway into certain death. From up here, the dragon felt the heat lick at their scales- burning the tips of their talons. Ni and San had gotten up by now, both still dazed and groggy. Ichi tried to say something, some last words of comfort to his brethren, but the vacuum of space drowned them out. A sudden gout of fire launched out of the Incinerator, firing off into the stars as if it wanted to envelop the entire universe.

As the creature behind them brought them closer to the pit, a final wave of energy overcame the three heads and they tried in vain to beat at their captor. Ghidorah's futile attacks glanced off its armor as it suspended them over the hole to the Underworld, and they could already feel themselves slipping from its grasp. Down below, Ichi saw the bones of numerous other kaiju- all of them condemned to the same fate as the dragon.

Is this it?

At least we died fighting

The middle head closed his eyes, and prepared for the inevitable waves of pain that would come with the raging flames down below.

If not for their captor's sudden lurch backward, something throwing it off balance.

The dragon was thrown rather ungracefully onto the side- kicking up dust as they continued to push at their restraints. Finally, with a crack unheard in the vacuum, they managed to snap off the wire binding their three necks. Their mobility returning to them, Ghidorah tore with at the rest of their binds- each one a boost to their motivation.

As soon as the last chain fell off- Ghidorah was free once more.

They glanced over to their metallic captor, now sizzling and bubbling as their savior enveloped them in his deathly embrace. For a second, Ichi could have sworn he heard the panicked screams of the pilot within- but the imagined noise came to an abrupt end when their new ally crushed the machine.

Hedrah, finished with his task, stood at his full height- leaving an unidentifiable steaming wreck of a mech. The blob's beady red eyes blinked at the dragon's own as they stared at each other- two cowboys in a showdown with their weapons primed.

A tug from San caused the other two heads to look away from Hedrah.

In the distance, Ghidorah could make out the blinding rays of light from some gargantuan structure nestled amongst the numerous mountains of what they could only assume was a moon. To their right was an even larger planet, a mixture of greens and blues. Even from where, Ghidorah could make out the miniscule dots that were stations orbiting it like flies to a corpse. Clearly, this was the home of their captors. Ghidorah felt the urge to fly over there and burn it to the ground- but that impulse quickly faded once one of their legs nearly bucked underneath their own weight.

They were not ready.

Not yet.

A nudge from Hedrah's slimy tentacle-arm caused the dragon to turn around, to see the blob pointing towards a cable- hidden under the lunar dust. Ichi took another look at Hedrah, fearing a betrayal- but the blob only continued to wait for them.

Even in space, Ichi could hear Ni's excited cackle.

Static crackled across their scales, prompting the dragon's heads to bite down on the cables even harder. The roaring current flowed into their veins once again, reinvigorating the dragon as it had done so many times before. Their wounds began to close as Ghidorah feasted on the surplus of energy, as the light from the Incinerator began to dim and fade.

The crowd roared in jubilation as they watched Titanosaurus fight once more, the unfortunate creature within its grasp locked into a chokehold. Despite the beast having a blade for a head, its stubby limbs prevented it from doing any real damage to the abyssal titan- and the saurain mercilessly suplexed it into the watery ground. His foe was barely able to stagger back up before Titanousaurs was on him, beating the kaiju with a flurry of blows and kicks. With one final sweep of his tail, he sent the knife-headed creature backwards. It desperately tried to fire off its star-shaped projectiles to maintain distance, ones that Titanosaurus dodged them with ease. The beast began to panic, backing into a corner while the saurian coldly advanced towards it.

But just as the saurian was about to reach for a spire and impale the poor thing's brain, his hand stopped just short- causing the enemy kaiju to tilt his head in confusion. A sudden quake rocked the entire facility, causing the audience to begin to mumble and whisper amongst each other as the knife kaiju warily neared the frozen titan.

A shout suddenly came from above- the sound loud enough to shatter the glass and cause the audience below to witness a shimmering rain from up in the command center.

"What?!"

A metal can on the floor was sent soaring into the air like a rocket, the result of the kick of a very angry ape. Despite being out of breath, Gorn still found himself to have enough energy to send the can flying out of his now broken window.

He quickly shot up from his chair, and the lights around him began to flicker dangerously. A sudden click, then darkness flooded the entire arena- only punctuated by the small lights of some of the spectators. As the emergency lights kicked in, bathing the entire arena in a dull red glow- the aliens down below began to realise something was wrong, an occasional panicked shout mixing in with the low muttering from before. Yet, the Simeon remained relatively calm compared to the crowd below- and grabbed a plasma rifle off one of the walls.

"Damn techies, always messing with the wires in the middle of a match."

The Simeon continued to cuss under his breath as he left his command room in a rush, determined to find the idiot that had caused the outage in the first place.

Ichi licked his lips as Ghidorah retreated from the cable, immediate urges satisfied. Their scales radiantly glowed as the dragon let out a victorious trill, not that anyone could hear it. The middle head saw the left head trying to say something, but upon realising where they were, San was content with firing off a triumphant bolt into the sky- in much better spirits despite their defeat. If they wanted to, the dragon could take off into the stars- becoming just another Dorat in the cosmos.

But the mere thought of revenge was far too sweet.

Ghidorah turned to the blob, now staring at the inert Incinerator. Clearly, he was still hungry for more refuse- and was already sliding into the smoking remnants of the dozens of dead kaiju below. But Ni quickly grabbed the blob by the head, and pulled him rather roughly away from the pile. Hedrah gurgled in protest, the right head recoiling as his mouth sizzled from the contact with the sludge. After glaring at Ni, silently berating him for his harshness, San turned to the blob- and pointed towards the arena. An offer for an alliance, one that the left head promised the blob could leave once they got to safety.

Hedrah immediately began to back away, not willing to fight on their side. He had saved them from the machine, the blob reasoned, and that was all he would do for them.

A sudden bolt made the blob jump back, as static crackled at Ichi's maw. Ni bared his teeth as San once more gestured at the arena, whether the blob wanted to or not- he would be coming with them. After all, San reasoned, Hedrah did have the option of bailing out at any time- but whether he would have the option of surviving their wrath all depended on him. Hedrah glanced over at the trash pit one more time, before letting out his equivalent of a sigh of reluctance and taking into the air- floating over to the direction of the arena.

Their golden wings spread to their full length, Ghidorah soared off behind their newfound companion- scales glittering under the lunar sky as they flew free for the first time in their lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all those who have left kind words and suggestions in the comments, thanks! It means lot, and although I don't reply to each and every one of them- know that all the feedback (good or bad) is what keeps me going!


	12. A King's Knights

It didn't take long to find where the other kaiju were being held.

Even from a distance, Ghidorah and Hedrah could make out a flood of bodies flying out of an area hidden behind a cluster of lunar mountains. The bat creatures laughed at their presence and dove down without hesitation, unleashing their sonic weaponry onto the two larger kaiju. A few bolts and Hedrah's smog was enough to drive the vicious predators away, not that they were a threat in the first place.

As the flock of the creatures took off towards the arena, thousands of leathery wings beating at once, the two kaiju soon landed in the so-called 'Containment Unit'.

The gargantuan building was exposed to space, bathed in the glow from a thousand red lights. The interior was massive, and dwarfed even the pair of kaiju as they descended deeper. Rows upon rows of metal chambers lined the cylindrical compound, most already broken open due to the power outage. Clean air began to fill back into the arena as the forcefield above repaired itself, causing Hedrah to stifle in disgust. As the two kaiju descended, Ghidorah could now faintly hear the disgusting squelch of flesh being ripped from its sockets.

"What do you think that is brothers?"

"I don't know and I don't care."

"Our goal is to find Orga- and leave."

At the mention of the pale white alien, Ni scoffed.

"Why are we looking for that coward anyway?"

"Orga said he had an easy way out," Ichi clarified, "and at this point anything is better then flying off into the unknown without a plan."

"Besides, we could use him as a shield if we ever get into an unfavorable-"

Before the middle head could finish his sentence, a sickening crunch echoed across the chamber. Now that they had drawn near to the bottom, Ghidorah and Hedrah could see a figure moving on the floor- hunched over and nearly identical to the chunks of metal that lay nearby. Had it not been for the smell and the slow rhythmic moving of its back, Ghidorah would have thought it was dead.

"Orga?" San tentatively asked in their language, forgetting that the alien couldn't understand them. But the sound alone was enough to wake the beast. As it turned to look at them, Ghidorah was caught off guard by the bloodshot yellow eyes of their fellow kaiju - and the green blood caking the pale alien jaws.

(Dragon)

(So we meet again) The alien broke into his equivalent of a wide grin, and with all the gore in his teeth, it sent a shiver of unease down the spines of Hedrah and even Ghidorah. Ichi squashed the unease in his mind as best he could, even as the alien continued to tear at the carcass as if he were no more than an animal

(You said you had a way out of here?)

(Indeed I do I do) Orga took another bite out of whatever he was hunkered over, causing the other two kaiju to rise slightly higher in the air.

(But why would I want to leave this food)

A sudden blast scorched the floor next to the alien's feet, inciting Orga to jump back with a clumsy thud. Ni's mouth smoked and crackled as he leered at the alien- daring him to defy the dragon again. The right head's glare was enough to shake Orga out of his feral hunger, and Ichi noted that the alien had regained his signature panicked fidgeting.

(Get a hold of yourself)

(Or we'll leave you behind) Ni threatened via their shared mental link.

Although Orga knew that Ghidorah had just as low a chance of escaping the planet undetected as he did, as gold didn't exactly blend in well with black, he elected to withhold this information from the kaiju now towering over him.

(Very well then) The alien took a moment to clear his mind before he continued. It was at that moment did Ichi feel the uncomfortable tingle of telepathy leave his mind.

"I have made it so that we can understand each other's languages, and that of any we may come across." Orga clarified, while he awkwardly shifted away from the meat he had just been consuming.

"What of the escape route Alien?"

"There is a gateway used for receiving kaiju or large goods located in a facility just a short distance from here, if you two could get me there I could use it to-"

Heavy footsteps suddenly resounded from a nearby doorway. All three kaiju paused at the sound, while the door began to heave with exertion as it slowly opened. With a puff of decontaminating fog, two familiar figures came into view. For a minute, all five kaiju stared at each other- bewildered and confused at each other's presence.

"Ghidorah." Gigan hissed venomously, his visor glowing a darker shade of red as he glared daggers at his old foe. His scythes glinted dangerously as the aquamarine cyborg lunged at Ghidorah at blinding speeds, sending both of them careening into a wall. The dragon was quick to retaliate, but their heads clamped down on air as Gigan flitted safely out of their reach. With a trill of rage, Ghidorah flew up into the sky in pursuit- only for the cyborg to keep the dragon back with his optic laser.  
"What are you waiting for bug?!" Gigan screeched at the other figure as he dodged another trio of electrical blasts from Ghidorah, "Get him!"

A sudden buzzing alerted the dragon to another foe, and Ghidorah was just barely able to avoid Megalon's signature charge- sending the beetle careening into the wall.

"Why do I even bother with you." Gigan muttered, before the dragon sent the avian soaring away with an undignified squawk with a trio of electrical beams.

As Ghidorah and Gigan continued their dogfight, a sudden concussive blast from Orga managed to just glance Gigan's wings- causing the cyborg to strafe right into Ghidorah's waiting claws. The dragon slammed him into the floor, pinning the lighter kaiju down with their bulk. But Gigan quickly turned the tables- finding one of the scars left from the dragon's battle with Titanosaurus and reopening it brutally with a jab from the saw on his chest. The pain took the dragon by surprise, and as they were reeling from the bloody blow Gigan was able to fly back up to safety- dodging another concussive blast from Orga. Gigan let out a piercing screech as he shot a blast of his optic laser in retaliation, burning the pale alien's skin and distracting him from Megalon's oncoming tackle. With Orga sent tumbling into the lower levels- the fight was Gigan's to win.

But unbeknownst to any of the kaiju, another group was already making their way to the compound when their fight had started. They had been notified of a security breach in the kaiju holding cells by the flock of ravenous Gyaos that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the main arena, but a few missiles was enough to drive the disorganized horde off. They had been sent with one mission and one mission alone- to kill any kaiju left at the compound.

And now they were here.

With a synchronized roar, a throng of Silver Dragons began to file into the empty prison. They quickly began to shoot at anything that moved, countless missiles and lasers now filling the already limited airspace. At the sight of more enemies, Orga quickly shielded himself with the aid of a dislodged metal door- the metal taking the brunt of the assault- before scurrying off into one of the abandoned cells. The other kaiju took to the skies- doing their best to dodge the barrage of projectiles.

"Damn dirty apes," Gigan screeched in fury, "I'm on your side-"

A lucky missile soon found its way onto his side in the midst of his diatribe, and bored into the metallic armor before detonating into a fiery plume. The cyborg screeched in outrage, but it did nothing to prevent him from plummeting to the ground helplessly as he struggled to maintain flight. Megalon tried to dive down to help, but another volley of lasers reminded the beetle to put his own safety first.

Blasts ripped across Ghidorah's scales as the dragon fired off countless bolts, each one nailing the machines in the chest- but not halting their assault in the slightest. For as many Silver Dragons as Ghidorah incapacitated, there were still others to rain down fire as their fallen comrades recuperated. Even with Megalon's napalm and occasional blasts of lightning, the two kaiju found themselves hard pressed to win the fight against the machines.

It was at that moment that Hedrah made himself known once more, a sudden wave of sludge rising from between the legs of the Silver Dragons and bringing them to their knees. The acid ate away at their limbs as the machines struggled in vain against their new foe, their weapons unable to reach the cunning blob. Their thrusters were clogged with sludge and refuse, leaving them grounded for Hedrah to devour. With their foes distracted, Megalon quickly took the chance to charge- knocking down several Silver Dragons like bowling pins. Lightning bolts and a singular concussive beam rained down as the kaiju brought their fury upon the machines, whose pilots were faced with two options- the corrosive sludge below or a fiery death from above.

But the Simeons were a proud race, and as such the pilots chose the hero's death.

Spontaneously, a previously obscured light in the chest cavity of every Silver Dragon began to blink. The kaiju paused their assault, as the beeping continued to grow more panicked and frantic. The fatigued Megalon and Ghidorah could only stare, and by the time the smell of steaming metal reached them it was already too late.

"TAKE COVER-"

Orgas belated warning was quickly drowned by the cacophony of explosions, and the tremendous rushing of hot air to the ceiling. The raging wave of flames burst through the forcefield with ease, a volcanic eruption that splashed out a magnificent burst of oranges and yellows into the darkness. Between the dozen Silver Dragons and their reactors, the resulting explosion released enough energy to power a small town for a week- an energy that should have decimated any living organism standing in the blast zone.

But when the smoke cleared, a tangerine light could be seen shining from amongst the gray cloud of soot and ash. Ghidorah's wingtips crackled with static electricity, a series of lines extending from them to the newly formed forcefield. Nearby, Orga reappeared from his makeshift bunker - having used the blast-proof cell doors to shield himself without Ghidorah's help.

As soon as they realised they were safe, the dragon's three heads each let out a groan of exertion- before they collapsed onto all fours. Their shield disappeared soon after, revealing a charred but intact Hedrah and Megalon.

Sadly, those two weren't the only ones saved by the dragon's shield.

As soon as Ghidorah collapsed, a familiar figure lunged out from the darkness- with the intent to gouge the dragon's heart out. For a split second, Ichi saw the piercing red eye of Gigan- wild with rage.

Only for the cyborg to be batted away- Megalon shoving his ally off course.

"YOU DUMB! BUG!" Gigan shrieked out, his words fuzzed with static and crackling as he rose up from the newly made hole in the wall.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

"Have you no honor coward?"

Megalon's voice was ancient like the stones and mountains, a stark contrast to the mechanical synthetic chirp that Gigan had. Apparently, he could also speak Dorat- presumably due to a translator all cyborgs possesed. It was only now, up close did Ghidorah notice the trickle of golden blood streaming down the beetle's head- as if something had fallen out from the inside.

"He saved us both-"

"Who the hell cares?!" The avian interrupted, his voice growing cold and metallic in response to his ally's betrayal.

"I will kill that dragon, with or without your help."

"Don't try."

San warned, while his sibling's jaws crackled with electricity. Ni let out a menacing hiss as the dragon rose to their full height- scars healing before Gigan's emotionless eyes.

"Or do try," the right head taunted, "and find out what that gets you."

Gigan scanned the room with his singular eye, smoke occasionally puffing out from the wounds in his armor. The green and yellow sheets of metal had been peeled open to reveal the jet black circuitry, it was a miracle that Gigan could even stand.

"Let's go."

The cyborg backed away from the group of kaiju, slinking back to the door from where he came- grumbling as he stepped over the corpses of the SIlver Dragons.

"Megalon?"

"I'm not going." The beetle straightened his back, as if trying to emphasise the full extent of his defiance at his former 'superior'.

"Suit yourself then, dumb bug."

Gigan let out one last haughty chuff, and the doors shut behind him with a bang.

"Thank you Megalon."

"We will not forget this so easily."

The beetle let out a small bow, and Ichi heard him mutter something about his headache.

A series of clangs and whirrs sent a jolt down the spines of all the kaiju. Even the usually ferocious Ni looked uneasy at the sound of even more of the Silver Dragons arriving.

"We need to leave." He said, drawing all eyes in the room to the right head.

"There's too many of them, we're going to lose eventually if they keep on coming."

"Let's get out of here."

It didn't take long for Hedrah to immediately take off barreling towards the forcefield, possibly with the intent of leaving them behind. All three of Ghidorah's heads let out a huff at the blob's cowardice, but a cough caught their attention before they could take off after him.

"What is it Orga?" Ichi asked, only for the alien to reply by pointing upwards.

"Ah."

The dragon gingerly picked up their ally in their gilded talons, and began to follow Hedrah up the massive chamber.

"Don't get used to it," Ni warned with a snarl, "This is a one time thing."

"I'm not planning to."

Orga had both of his hands on their legs, clearly doubting their strength as he held on for dear life. San glanced behind them to see Megalon, his attempt at tailing them discreetly ruined by the loud buzzing of his wings.

"So, you're coming with us?"

Megalon remained silent, though the fact he was still following them seemed to answer San's question for him. The beetle's head wound had closed on its own, San noted, but Megalon still had one drill on his head.

"You aren't going to betray us are you?"

The beetle briefly paused mid air, but before he could answer Ni had taken an interest in their conversation.

"Who cares what he's going to do," the right head suddenly burst out, uncaring of the fact that the beetle could hear his gloats, "Not like he can take us."

"Quit chatting you two."

Ichi's jaws crackled with lightning as they soon reached the forcefield, where Hedrah was waiting awkwardly in mid air, and they slowly broke through with their stored electrical energy. Meanwhile, Orga finally had begun to explain the details of his 'impeccable' plan to the two newcomers.

"The place we need to go to should be to the East, about a few kilometers away."

"When the forcefield breaks, I calculate we should be there in a few seconds."

"All you three need to do then is find a sufficient power source and hold off any enemies long enough for me to-"

Orga was cut off by a sudden bang, as all the air in the prison began to escape out into the void. As the air continued to spill out into the lunar skies, Ichi could briefly hear a loud 'what' from San as they made their way east. The entire moon shook as what felt like a full-scale war was occurring in the nearby arena, what could likely be dozens of kaiju venting their wrath onto their captors and each other. Who knew how many lives had been caught in the crossfire.

If there was anytime to escape, it would be now.


	13. Rise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anyone still excited for GvK? Just me? Alright then, anyways we're nearing the end of our journey- so hold on and enjoy the show!

Compared to the vast compound they had left, their new destination was much less grandiose. The rounded metal hatch looked like it was barely enough for Orga, much less all four of them together. Without warning, Ghidorah abruptly dove onto the gate with their passenger still in their grasp- breaking through it. Whether Orga had an issue with this the dragon did not know, for the other two soon landed beside them- muffling whatever words the alien had said as he fell. The room was thankfully much larger on the inside than the outside, and their goal lay right in the center of a ring of machines and boxes. The rim of the gateway dwarfed everything else in the room, the lights studding the metal blinking innocently in the darkness. While Orga set up the portal, with Megalon of all kaiju being the one with a destination in mind, the three heads of Ghidorah began to convene.

"Be ready you two."

"Brothers, we are going to make it out alive right?" San, rather pale, his dreams of escape becoming a reality at last.

"We are strong," the middle head reaffirmed, "We are Ghidorah."

"We will survive."

Seeing the slight smile on San's face made Ichi feel a little more confident at his odds.

"Alright then," Ni stretched his neck, "So what are we waiting for,"

"Let's kick some ass."

Ghidorah let out a trill, as if they had all the power in the world. The other kaiju, by contrast, were a little less confident.

"Orga, work on the portal."

"You do not have to remind me." The pale alien grumbled as he continued to fidget with the machine with his large fingers. Surprisingly enough, he seemed to know what he was doing.

"Megalon, Hedrah-" Ghidorah spread their wings- glowing a bright gold.

"You know what to do."

"I shall be at your side for this fight."

Megalon let out a bow, and the sound of his buzzing wings followed Ghidorah as they began to leave from the ventilated portal room into the void. Briefly, as they slowly left the air behind them, San could briefly hear Orga shouting something down below- before Hedrah came rocketing past them like a dodgeball. The blob stabilised himself in the void beside the two other kaiju, as they scanned the lunar mountains for any foes. The gargantuan planet loomed over them, its lush and bright colors a stark contrast to the bleak white landscape of the moon.

Ichi felt a tug from San on one of his horns, and his eyes followed the left head's to a row of silvery wisps coming from nearby. Even in the depths of space, Ghidorah could almost hear the roar of the turbines as the Silver Dragons drew nearer. Nearby, Hedrah began to release clouds of smoke as Megalon's horn crackled with electricity.

When the machines got close enough, Ghidorah fired off a volley of lightning that would make a thundercloud weep in shame.

The battle had begun.

—

A dozen Gyaos descended into the now open Pit, their jaws grabbing at any food they could reach. The crowd had long dispersed, either fleeing on their private ships or having been eaten by the ravenous beasts. This incident surely marked the end of Gorn's kaiju fighting days, because even if he and his men were the only ones who made it out alive- the authorities down below would have noticed all the ruckus and were probably already on their way.

"Your escort ship has arrived."

The voice on the other side of the intercom was worried, and had perfect reason to be so. Nobody wanted to be on Gorn's bad side.

"Where?"

"Landing bay three."

"Have the other ships been cleared out?"

"Affirmative commander."

Gorn took one last look at the Gyaos continuing to fight amongst themselves, as more and more other kaiju began to flood in from above. If he ever found whoever did this, Gorn would personally make sure that they were going to suffer.

"How about the Mechagodzillas?"

"The reinforcements have been delayed."

"They spotted a group near Portal 6 and are currently engaging them in combat."

The ape briskly walked down the familiar hallways- the dull red of emergency alarms washing over the velvet carpet. The firearm in his other hand was more of a deterrent than an actual weapon, seeing as the monstrous beings he had to evade wouldn't even feel the blast no matter how good Gorn was at aiming. But the same couldn't be said about any of the other stragglers in the base.

His only victory from this was that Titanosaurus was hopefully safely contained in another separately powered part of the base. Gorn had already teleported the beast away as soon as the controls froze, and his holding cell was made of the strongest Space Titanium. If they had the Abyssal Giant under their control maybe they could-

"Has Titanosaurus been secured?" Gorn said as he took aim at yet another fleeing alien, the plasma bolt easily burning through the latex jumpsuit it wore.

"About that commander-"

"Titanosaurus was reported missi-"

At that point, the last thing the Simeon on the otherside heard was a crunch as the intercom unit was crushed under a large boot.

—

Another Silver Dragon fell to the ground in a heap, shards of metal spiralling out as Megalon rammed it further into the ground. Hedrah's smoke billowed across the lunar sky, and the blob was quick to use the opportunity to feast on even more of the metallic corpses below. Nearby, Ghidorah was single handedly dueling against several of the machines- their three heads blasting the numerous projectiles before they could hit them. A sudden bolt from Megalon nailed one of them in the chest, distracting the Silver Dragon long enough for Ghidorah to ram into it at full speed. San, Ichi and Ni tore into the dragon's armor in unison- and soon another machine fell.

But if the Silver Dragons had one advantage, it was their numbers.

Although these were some of the older units, each Silver Dragon packed more than enough firepower to destroy a city- much less three isolated kaiju. As more and more units came from all sides, even Ghidorah was starting to have trouble dealing with them.

Not that that fact would ever keep the dragon down however.

All three heads whipped back and forth, their barrage of bolts scorching the armor of the unlucky machines caught in the crossfire. As the machines began to draw back, Ghidorah let out a glance at Megalon- who had oddly not charged into the horde. The dragon nodded, and the two kaiju dove into the retreating forces. Megalon's horn pierced through the chest of one, and his drills were quick to bash the head of the Dragon in before it could fire any of its weapons. The other dragons were eager to pile on the beetle, but Ghidorah was already there.

Their jaws effortlessly tore through the armor of the machines, the dragon's three sets of razor sharp teeth making quick work of the armor on some of the older Silver Dragons. One swing of their mighty wings was enough to knock down a dozen of the machines, and Ichi's follow up bolt tore through their armor. Ni let out a soundless cackle when he noticed the minuscule figures being flung into the vacuum, while San kept an eye on Megalon- who was in the middle of whaling on one of the Silver Dragons with his drills.

As another wave of Silver Dragons came flooding in, Ghidorah spread their gilded wings- shining in the low light. Thunder crackled as the dragon sent another wave of energy beams their way, incinerating the metal on some unlucky mechs enough for the vacuum of space to do the rest. Those that did make it closer were quickly grabbed and torn to shreds by three hungry jaws, their golden teeth easily piercing the rusted metal of the older models.

It was once said by a philosopher that kaiju were the incarnations of the force of nature, indomitable living breathing forces of nature. Creatures that rivalled gods in power, far beyond anything mortals could conceive of.

And at that moment, Ghidorah was proof of that.

Their presence was beginning to create cloud cover, blotting out some of the stars and painting the lunar surface with a golden dot. Hedrah and Megalon were soon lost to the clouds, and all Ghidorah could see was the storm they had made. Clouds swirled around them as the dragon let out a soundless keen- and brought down lightning onto the heretics down below.

Their claws easily tore through the metal, and Ghidorah took the time to crush as many of those hapless aliens hiding inside the SIlver Dragons with their jaws. Their blood painted their teeth red as Ghidorah massacred what was left of their number, the groaning of metal and the crack of thunder echoing in the storm.

As the horde of Silver Dragons began to thin, the dragon let out a haughty and triumphant trill - the air in their storm carrying it to all corners of the moon.

"We've won!" San chirped out as the last Silver Dragon fell to its knees, the pilot's blood mixing with the oil down below. As the storm around them began to fade, Ichi could now make out the silhouettes of Megalon and Hedrah- each one finishing off the last of their opponents.

"This is it, we're finally free brothers!"

As San and Ni cheered, Ichi let out a sigh of relief. The fight was over, the war won. Now the dragon could meet up with Orga, and finally escape this place. Thoughts of their new home began to appear in the middle head's mind, and he closed his eyes for a brief second to imagine what it would be like.

Then Ni's scarlet eyes went wide, and all three heads noticed too late the glint of a metallic blade hidden within the lightning of their storm.

San contorted as the blade cut through his neck, blood spurting out into the void. Ni and Ichi screamed out, but by that time it had already reached the left head's spine. With a sickening crack, the bones gave away.

It was as if time was slown down. Ghidorah was frozen in shock as San fell, his eyes frozen in their fearful daze as his last embers of life puttered out. His last words, whatever they were, went unheard as San disappeared into the whirlpool of gray and black.

Tears began to fill the middle head's eyes as the memory of his mother invaded his mind, her lifeless corpse appearing in his mind's eye. Ni howled in unbridled agony - electricity bursting from his eyes and mouth.

"One down."

The murderer let out a cackle, blood still caking his scythes.

"Two to go."


	14. Fall

Gigan's visor burned a bright red as Ghidorah charged at the cyborg, a reckless move that their agile foe easily strafed past. From his scythes, the cyborg fired off his newly acquired grappling hooks- straight out of the Mechagodzilla armory. They wrapped around the dragon's two necks, and Gigan used their momentum to send them spiralling down.

The dragon crashed onto the ground, sending dust up into the air. Ghidorah was quick to get back up, uncaring of the burns on their body. Gigan let out another gloating cackle, before he fired off his optical laser- now even more powerful than ever. The beam dug into the left head's stump, causing Ghidorah to cry out in pain.

Their energy shield appeared out of thin air, blocking the subsequent stream of red as Gigan continued to fire. Ghidorah let out another trill of exertion, and fired off another pair of bolts that just barely missed the avian assassin.

"Not so tough now are we?!"

Gigan quickly closed the gap between them, his various blades becoming stained with gold as he burrowed them into the dragon with a flurry of blows. The two heads retaliated with vicious bites, each one carrying with it the power of grief and thunder But Gigan's armor wasn't covered head to toe in spikes for nothing, and the dragon quickly found themselves bleeding from their gums.

"THIS IS FOR SAN-"

Ni bit down on Gigan's neck in a blur of motion, crushing the metal with ease. But a scythe found itself wedged into the side of his neck, and the cyborg's grin widened as he tore off another chunk of flesh. But Ghidorah's wing came crashing into his side, talons digging into Gigan's ribs, and pulled the cyborg closer to the writhing dragon's necks. Ichi and Ni worked in tandem, tearing and pulling off Gigan's armor one piece at a time.

Then, Gigan let out a laugh- a horrific discordant noise that masked the revving of his buzzsaw.

The cyborg pressed onto the dragon's chest with his own, and Ghidorah felt their lungs fill with blood as the blade tore through their ribcage. Ghidorah dropped, their breaths heavy and haggard. The cyborg let out a taunting jeer, as his visor began to glow a dark shade of red.

"Some king you are-"

Gigan let out a brief chirp of panic as Hedrah's tentacles wrapped tightly around the cyborg's neck- before he was dragged along the lunar dust. The blob quickly gurgled at the dragon for aid, but Ghidorah stood frozen in place- staring into nothingness with blood dripping from their wounds.

A gout of red hot fire ripped from within Hedrah's arm, and the blob let out a cry of pain as Gigan continued to unleash a torrent of flame from within his beak. The fire quickly spread across Hedrah's body, and the blob was all but gone until Gigan stopped- distracted by something on the horizon.

A row of specks, coming closer and closer.

The Silver Dragons were coming.

Ichi willed himself to move, but something was keeping him rooted. It was only after he glanced at Ni did he notice the fury in the right head's eyes, the burning orbs of hatred brimmed with tears glaring down their mechanical foe. The avian let out a snarl, and dropped what was left of Hedrah onto the lunar surface- his armor corroded where the blob had touched him.

"This isn't over yet."

"Your Majesty."

Gigan's beak curved up into a sinister grin, and Ghidorah could only watch as he disappeared into thin air with a shimmer.

"Ni," Ichi's voice was barely audible- the air that carried it slowly dissipating.

"We have to go."

"He has to pay Ichi, He has to pay for that-" The right head spat, his spittle and blood raining onto the ground.

"There's more of them coming Ni,"

"We can't win against that many."

"He killed San," Ni whispered, "He just killed San."

"I know what Gigan did Ni, but there's too many of them coming."

"For once in your life just think," Ichi hissed, the conflicting signals from their two minds causing their shared body to remain rooted to the spot.

"San will probably grow back anyway, we can heal after all-"

"Are you hearing yourself?!"

"Our brother is dead-" Ni roared in fury, static crackling at his jaws.

"SILENCE NI! We do not have time for your bul-"

"MY WHAT?!" 

"I SAID SILENCE!"

Ichi didn't even pause at what he was doing when he fired a bolt- the beam nailing the right head on the side of the head and causing him to scream in pain. The middle head could only look on as the nasty burn slowly healed- but the damage had been done.

"Ni I didn't meant to-"

"So that's how it is."

The Silver Dragons were closer now, their yellow eyes illuminating the void.

Ichi opened his mouth to speak, but the cold stare from Ni managed to shut him up. The middle head felt the right's control retreat from their body, and soon his mind began to burn as Ichi found himself struggling to control a body meant for three.

"Ghidorah," Megalon flew in a little too late, holding Hedrah's head in his drills. There was what appeared to be a Silver Dragon's head on his horn, and the beetle's tough exoskeleton was cracked in multiple places - he wouldn't last much longer if a fight did break out. Hedrah let out a demanding gurgle, as if telling them to hurry the hell up.

"I am deeply sorry for the loss of your head."

The beetle briefly stopped to bow, causing Hedrah to nearly fall off. The blob began to slap Megalon's chest at this, although it didn't seem to affect him. When Ghidorah didn't reply, only staring in his general direction, Megalon tried to speak again- only for his words to fade into the void with the dissipating air. So he pointed one drill at the encroaching horde, now joined by numerous smaller spaceships and other vehicles.

This was not a fight they could win.

Ichi shook himself out of his stupor, the ringing in his head beginning to abate.

He needed to be the leader.

He needed to be strong, for Ni's sake.

And so that he would have time to mourn.

Ichi turned to the right head, who was pointedly avoiding eye contact. The middle head rammed his guilt down his throat, and nodded at Megalon- they were ready to go.

The splitting migraine immediately returned as he willed their wings to flap across the void. Without San, it became much much harder to pilot a body meant for three- and Ni's unwillingness to cooperate wasn't helping much either. Ichi didn't know how long his cessation of control would last, in all honesty- the middle head was more than just worried about his brother.

But that would have to wait.

The portal complex was just as they had left it, the gaping hole in the ceiling from where Orga threw Hedrah still present. As the three kaiju descended, all worse for wear, Ichi let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the pale alien down below.

"Oh my," Orga muttered, pointedly glaring at where San once was.

"What horrors did you four witness?"

"Orga. The portal."

"Ah, yes-"

"I have everything working," the pale alien put one claw onto a large box- filled with complex devices.

"All that's left is to input power into this."

The entire building shook as the machines began their siege, clearly they were much closer than the kaiju had anticipated.

Ichi and Megalon fired off their respective energy weapons onto the mechanical device. causing it to crackle and spark. Before long, the portal was functional- the device shimmering as it produced a beautiful blue vortex. The vortex looked so out of place in the complex- a beautiful spectre in this place devoid of such beauty. For a second, all four kaiju only stared in disbelief.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!" Orga cried out in a panic, as explosions began to ring out- the heat from their flames growing closer and closer to the fragile portal frame.

"GO!"

Megalon, with Hedrah in tow, quickly dove into the vortex without a second thought. Orga glanced back at Ghidorah, before following suit. Ghidorah, or just Ichi in this case, was the last to leave- a cold shiver running up his spine. The dragon glanced around the ruins one last time, hesitating for a brief second. Ichi felt a hint of warmth seep into his scales, and he wasnt sure if it was blood or the thought of living his brother's dream.

It should have been him.

Ghidorah let out a trill of power, and lunged at the portal with renewed vigor.

For San.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie, I'm probably gonna go back and change a bunch of stuff later on- especially the emotional core of the story. But for now, that's it for Ascension- but I have a bunch of other things planned for the Kaijuverse that I will be working on before the sequel.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the story, and see you next time!


	15. Consequences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghidorah is free now.

As the last of the Simeon starships left their moon, back to their homeworld for the upcoming trial, the once bustling center for kaiju combat was left unattended- a ghost town filled with deadly creatures gathered from all over the multiverse.

Metallic debris hung still in the emptiness of space as a flock of Gyaos pecked at the corpse of some long dead kaiju, the voracious beasts fighting over the scraps. They hissed and snapped at one another, too focused on their food to notice the twinkle of reflected light coming from just behind them.

The newcomer's crystal claws tore through one unlucky Gyaos, his sharpened teeth snapping its neck as its comrades began to fly away- firing their sonic beams as they retreated. The former Crystal King paid them no heed, and continued to feast on the two fresh corpses at his feet.

But he soon picked up another energy signature, this one much stronger than the Gyaos and machinery he had been devouring for the past cycles. The Crystal King narrowed his eyes as he saw a red and white humanoid drift into the atmosphere- basking in the light from the local star. The kaiju let out a devious snarl as he began to sneak towards the unaware being, his pale skin slowly growing darker from the burns and excess energy flowing in his shell.

The universe would tremble at his might, Krystalak would make sure of it.

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Or is he?


End file.
